The Lakers lost their final preseason game the moment they scheduled it. It was their sixth straight game away from Los Angeles since the start of training camp. They played in Phoenix on Thursday night and never planned on playing their starters.
But preseasons aren’t built to be judged on things like winning and losing. They’re about preparation. They’re practice games for when things finally start for real.
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But with so many players unavailable — the Lakers were without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Dalton Knecht and Max Christie — Friday’s preseason game wasn’t going to be about any of that.
This one, sort of by default, had to be about opportunity, the Lakers losing 132-74 to Golden State.
With so many minutes and so many shots up for grabs, the Lakers’ youngest players were going to get a chance. And only a couple — Quincy Olivari and Bronny James — took advantage of it.
Olivari, the undrafted free agent from Xavier who had been slotted for a spot on the Lakers’ G-League team, scored 22 points and had six rebounds in 39 minutes. Earlier in the preseason, Olivari sparked the team’s fourth-quarter comeback in Milwaukee thanks in part to the kind of three-point shooting he showed Friday when he made five threes. He also had seven turnovers.
And James, who has struggled throughout the Lakers’ preseason, played his best basketball with the extended run. James played with more confidence as the game went on — making his first three of the preseason and catching a lob from Olivari for his first dunk as a pro.
He turned up his aggressiveness and played more decisively, shooting 17 times and finishing with 17 points, four rebounds and three steals in 35 minutes.
Last year’s draft picks, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis, failed to make an impact against most of the Warriors’ regulars (Stephen Curry missed the game with a minor finger injury and Draymond Green only played the first half).
While Hood-Schifino had seven assists, he also had six turnovers. He and Lewis combined to shoot five for 20. Cam Reddish went one for 11 in his 24 minutes.
The Lakers are scheduled to practice twice before opening the season Tuesday against Minnesota at Crypto.com Arena.