The Lakers took the floor for their fifth preseason game this season. They are just under a week away from opening night and it appears they are tightening up their personnel, but still testing lineups. Los Angeles had streaks of Lakers Basketball against the Minnesota Timberwolves but haven't grasped their game completely and fell, 118-113.
A big factor in terms of trying out different rotations is the Lakers' deep bench of guards. But a large majority of them had a tough time knocking down shots tonight. They struggled from the perimeter, making only 11% of their three-pointers at the half, and 26% overall.
In his post-game press conference, Head Coach Darvin Ham explained that tonight was a “case of a team who couldn’t make a shot.” But he said he was “was satisfied with the looks [they] had, [they] just couldn’t make them.”
“The vibes are going to be off when we’re not making shots” he pointed out.
LeBron James (25 pts, 11 reb) did not have the same problem. The King acted in his royal manner and knocked down a couple of threes and went 9-for-12 from the field. He was especially impressive on his drives to the hoop.
The big thing Coach Ham has been pushing this offseason is defensive fundamentals. He wants this team to be a unit focused on rebounds, free throws, and turnovers.
L.A. was even with Minnesota in terms of rebounds (72), they were a bit more accurate from the line, but where they really suffered is their number of turnovers which was almost double the amount that the Timberwolves committed.
The Lakers did concoct quite a bit in the paint tonight though. Specifically, Anthony Davis (19 pts, 13, reb, 2 stl, 2 blk), who made himself available under the rim and his teammates found him, especially teammate, Lonnie Walker (12 pts) who brought a rapid pace to his rotation.
Another priority of Coach Ham’s is running the floor and Walker was a prime example. Lonnie left in the third with a left ankle sprain and did not return. He will be reevaluated tomorrow.
As many of these preseason games have gone, the fourth quarter was reserved primarily for the younger members of this Lake Show. This squad finished out Pride Night and about halfway through the quarter, they injected some life back into this Lakers crowd with a couple of threes to bring the deficit to six. And then again with only five seconds, they brought the deficit to four.
Coach Ham was thrilled with the way the team responded in the second half. He mentioned how the “young guys caught the message as well and had a really good carryover to finish the game.”
The team hits the road and will face the Sacramento Kings in their final preseason game this Friday.