The Los Angeles Lakers opened the preseason with a 123-97 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, and though the score suggests it was lopsided, the first three quarters were close.
Los Angeles trailed 84-81 going into the fourth quarter when Frank Vogel inserted the players currently on training camp deals into the game, who were easily outmatched by Brooklyn’s young reserves that have a little more experience.
But even before that point, the guaranteed players on the roster didn’t seem too functional together, which was to be expected in the first 5-on-5 action against another team since early June.
The Lakers didn’t play LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Trevor Ariza, which exacerbated some of those issues, but Anthony Davis played 11 minutes in the first quarter.
Davis explained how the Lakers aren’t up to par yet on where they want to be, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“We’re way behind,” Davis said. “Getting movement on offense. Quality shots. Defensively, talking, getting our schemes right. Rebounding, very huge. We’re not boxing out. That was the main takeaway.”
“Offense will come. We’re not too worried about it, especially when we get Bron, Melo, TA and Russ out there,” Davis said. “But it was the first game to see where we are, and we got to do a better job defensively, especially blocking out.”
Because of those four players not playing, it was tough to analyze the game too closely. Players like James and Westbrook will drastically change how the team looks on both ends of the floor, while Ariza and Anthony will have key roles to help the stars.
If anyone stood out from the opening day, though, it was Malik Monk, who scored 15 points in 21 minutes with rapid shooting. Davis praised his performance after the game.
The next preseason game is Oct. 6 at 3:00 p.m. PT against the Phoenix Suns.
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