A second-half rally by the Warriors saw them pick up a second win of the preseason against the Lakers, 101-89.
In a game highlighted by Walker Kessler’s debut for the purple and gold, LA built up a 20-point lead with the regular rotation players on the floor. However, the drop-off to the bench was drastic and that lead quickly drained away in the second half.
The purple and gold turned the ball over 30 times, leading to 26 Golden State points. They also shot just 33-76 from the field and 9-34 from three.
Quentin Grimes opened up the scoring for LA, knocking down a triple. He led Los Angeles early with five points. Steph Curry had three for the Warriors. Walker Kessler scored his first points as a Laker on a layup. He also made his defensive presence known by altering shots.
Golden State called a timeout after falling behind by seven.
Out of the break, the Warriors went on an 8-0 run to take the lead. Austin Reaves answered with a jumper to stop their run. De’Anthony Melton had nice production off the bench for Golden State with five points. Reaves, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Jake LaRavia all drained triples for Los Angeles.
Reaves was the first Laker in double figures with 11 points. At the end of the first, the game was tied.
Kessler erupted early in the second period, scoring four points and blocking a shot. Jaden Hardy also knocked down a three for LA. Los Angeles was up by five at the 8:18 mark. Reaves then began to take over, putting up 10 points. Grimes converted on back-to-back layups, helping keep the Lakers up big.
LA was on a 13-4 run.
They continued to dominate the quarter, shooting 56% from the field. Most of their points came in the paint, winning that battle, 30-20. Kessler ended the half with 11 points and nine rebounds. Reaves had 23 points and six assists.
At halftime, the purple and gold were up by 13.
While Kessler did not play in the second half, Reaves began the third period with a jumper for Los Angeles. He also knocked down a triple to help LA take a 20-point lead, but the Warriors responded with a 14-0 run. Mamu ended that run by scoring on a driving hook shot.
At the 4:17 mark, LA was up by seven.
Los Angeles ended the quarter going 6-20 from the field. They missed seven attempts from behind the arc. They also had 18 turnovers. Nobody really found offensive rhythm, allowing Golden State to make it a closer affair.
Going into the fourth period, the Lakers were up by four.
The final frame began with LA’s bench on the floor. Brandin Podziemski tied the game. The Warriors jumped ahead by six thanks to another triple from Podz and one from Gui Santos.
After a series of turnovers and poor plays, the Warriors went up by eight. Gary Payton II scored four in a row to make it happen.
Newest Laker Rafael Castro scored his first points as a Laker on an alley-oop dunk. With the game winding down quite fast, Golden State had the commanding lead.
Key Player Stats
Reaves finished with 28 points, four rebounds and seven assists in 25 minutes. Kessler ended with 11 points and nine rebounds. Mamu scored 10 points with seven rebounds and two assists.
Grimes pitched in with nine points and six assists. LaRavia logged four points with three rebounds and two assists. Jaden Hardy chipped in 10 points, most in garbage time.
The Lakers’ last preseason matchup will be against the Denver Nuggets on Friday at 7:30 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
