The Lakers struggled in their first game of the California Classic, losing 104-72 to the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
LA’s newest rookie, Cameron Carr, was off to a hot start for the team, scoring six points off two 3-pointers. Los Angeles’ other notable name, Adou Thiero, was 1-2 from the field, but looked solid and was moving very well. Golden State’s rookie Yaxel Lendeborg also had six points off two triples.
The Lakers were down by five at the end of the first. Carr ended the quarter
with eight points. Arthur Kaluma had five points off the bench.
Carr’s excellent play continued into the second period as he knocked down another 3-pointer, giving him 11 for the night so far. Lendeborg was 4-4 from behind the arc for the Warriors and had 14 points.
Will Richard and Lendeborg combined for 32 points in the half and were also a combined 8-9 from behind the arc. Carr drained another triple for LA, giving him 14 points. Los Angeles was down 24 at the half.
Chris Mañon started the offense off for LA in the third period. Carr missed four shots before draining his fifth triple of the night. Adou finally put some more points on the board, converting on a three-point play. Golden State, though, had built a big lead that the Lakers just couldn’t cut into. They were shooting 65% from the field.
LA was shooting 37% from the field. Their shot selection was rough and messy. At the end of the third, the purple and gold were down by 34.
The Lakers started the final frame on a positive note, scoring nine points in a row. Graham Ike put a stop to the run with a layup. The rest of the quarter was essentially garbage time as teams just exchanged baskets until the buzzer sounded.
Key Player Stats
Carr finished with 19 points and two rebounds. Thiero ended with nine points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Kaluma had 12 points and six rebounds. Anton Watson scored nine points with three rebounds.
Mañon logged eight points with three rebounds. Zhaire Smith and AK Okereke combined for 11 points off the bench.
The next California Classic game will be against the Miami Heat on Sunday at 1:30 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
