The Los Angeles Lakers snapped a two-game preseason skid on Sunday night, defeating the Golden State Warriors 126-116 at Crypto.com Arena.
With several marquee names—including Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Marcus Smart—sitting out, Austin Reaves assumed primary playmaking duties and poured in 21 points in 23 minutes. The guard hit 7-of-10 shots, knocked down two of his four three-point attempts and added three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Reaves exited midway through the third quarter after appearing to tweak his leg but stayed on the bench and later said he was fine.
Rui Hachimura ignited the offense early, finishing with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting (3-of-4 from deep), while new starting center Deandre Ayton showcased his all-around game. Ayton logged 26 minutes, scoring 14 points on 6-of-8 from the field, grabbing eight rebounds and handing out five assists to go with two steals and a block.
Rookie Dalton Knecht took advantage of extended minutes, contributing 16 points, three rebounds and two assists. Off the bench, Gabe Vincent added 13 points in 22 minutes, and Jake LaRavia stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, three rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Golden State closed the gap in the final minutes, but Bronny James hit clutch free throws to keep Los Angeles comfortably ahead. The first-year guard logged seven points in 15 minutes.
Up Next
The Lakers have three preseason games remaining: Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns in Phoenix, Wednesday versus the Dallas Mavericks in Las Vegas and Friday’s home finale with the Sacramento Kings. The regular season opens Oct. 21 on the road against the Warriors.
Source: LakersNation.com
