Lakers drop preseason finale to Nuggets, turn attention to season opener

LOS ANGELES — In a bit of a dress rehearsal for next week’s season opener, with most of the roster available, the Lakers showed flashes of what they could be in a 121-106 loss to the Denver Nuggets in their preseason finale on Friday night.

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Austin Reaves led all Lakers in scoring with 19 points, adding five rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes. Luka Doncic recovered from a cold shooting start with 15 points on 4-of-10 shooting, but he only played in the first half. Starting alongside Doncic and Reaves for the first time in purple and gold, center Walker Kessler finished with six points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots in 31 minutes.

“I mean, there’s going to be some growing pains, just lack of reps together so far,” Reaves said. “More than likely going to pick up on it sooner than later. So we’ll continue to grow that over the next couple days and be ready for opening night.”

The Lakers concluded their preseason slate with a 2-3 record.

While Lakers head coach JJ Redick said there is not a definitive plan for the starting lineup for Wednesday’s season opener against the Golden State Warriors, he trotted out a starting five that could be a recurring look in the regular season.

Besides Doncic, Reaves and Walker Kessler, wings Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle rounded out the starting lineup. Redick said guard Quentin Grimes, who came off the bench on Friday, will have an opportunity to start and was being tested as a potential fourth ball handler after Redick said the other options “hasn’t been great.”

Williams played just 10 minutes, a minutes restriction per Redick, as he returns from a foot contusion. Redick said he hopes Williams has a healthy next three days to be able to play increased minutes on Wednesday.

“He played really well,” Redick said of Williams, who scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting. “Made some shots. I think he has really nice instinctual timing on his cuts, was able to benefit from that.”

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Forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili provided a clear spark for the Lakers in the second half, contributing 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes off the bench.

“Anytime he gets a rebound,” we’re encouraging him to push the pace, Reaves said. “He’s a good basketball player, so we’re very excited for what he brings to the team.”

Guard Collin Sexton (lower-left leg injury) was not available and sat out every preseason game, but Redick again said that the 27-year-old combo guard is “trending in the right direction,” when it comes to opening night.

“He had another great day today, and we’ll be able to do some stuff tomorrow, even though we’re off,” Redick said of Sexton, who didn’t have tape along his calf at Friday’s shootaround the way he did at Thursday’s practice. “He continues to trend in the right direction.”

Second-year wing Adou Thiero (maintenance), rookie guard Cameron Carr (contusion) and forward Jarred Vanderbilt (undisclosed) did not play against the Nuggets either.

The Lakers turned the ball over just 15 times on Friday, cutting down on their 30 turnovers against the Warriors on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

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