The Lakers made their return to the hardwood on Monday night – albeit in preseason action – with a dominating 127-103 road victory over the Sacramento Kings, despite playing without two of their stars.
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Luka Doncic scored a team-high 21 points on 5-for-12 shooting in the first half before taking a seat for the night and guard Quentin Grimes scored 16 points, but Kessler and Reaves did not play Monday after each suffered minor injuries, Lakers coach JJ Redick told reporters before the game.
Reaves “tweaked” his ankle, Redick said, while Kessler – the Lakers’ prized offseason addition at center – jammed his finger against the backboard. Redick added that both players would be “fine.”
Throughout training camp, the Lakers – across the board – have emphasized defensive effort and their disruptive wings. Both showed up in a big way on Monday. The Lakers forced 14 turnovers in the first half alone, finishing the game with 15 steals while the Kings turned the ball over 26 times overall.
New Lakers wings Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle, along with Grimes, a 3-and-D guard, earned starts alongside Doncic and presumed backup center Kevon Looney. During a halftime interview on Spectrum Sportsnet, Redick credited Williams (13 points) and Thybulle (six points, 2-for-4 shooting from 3-point range) with setting the defensive tone.
The Lakers shot 50% from the field and connected on 45.5% of their looks from 3-point range (20 for 44), while holding the Kings to 45.1% shooting overall.
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Of the young Lakers who saw the court, guard Bronny James had three points and five rebounds in 16 minutes and rookie guard Cameron Carr scored 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting in his preseason debut. Second-year wing Adou Thiero was one of the first Lakers off the bench, showcasing improved decision-making along with his high motor en route to four rebounds and four assists in 17 minutes.
The Lakers played 15 players on Monday, with forward Jarred Vanderbilt and guard Dalton Knecht as the final two guaranteed contract players to enter the game – the pair subbing in to play in the fourth quarter.
Guard Collin Sexton and two-way contract forward Arthur Kaluma have “very light” lower-body injuries, Redick told reporters, and both sat out Monday as well.
Redick told reporters that all four of the Lakers’ inactive players on Monday are “day to day” and said none of the ailments are considered major. The Lakers continue preseason play with the second half of a Bay Area back-to-back set on Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco.
The Lakers will have three more preseason games after that – two at Crypto.com Arena (this Thursday and on Oct. 16) and one at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas next Tuesday (Oct. 13).
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