LOS ANGELES, Calif — The Los Angeles Lakers looked their best in spurts and more well-rounded as a unit in their first home game and win of the preseason, dropping the Warriors 126-116 on Sunday in their second straight contest against Golden State without LeBron James and Luka Dončić.
Austin Reaves poured in a team-high 21 points on an efficient 70% (seven-of-10) shooting and Rui Hachimura added 16 in the starting unit that included Deandre Ayton, Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht. The Lakers had six players score in double figures, four of whom came from the starters.
Knecht, who struggled in the summer league finding his rhythm, had his best game of the preseason with a 16-point performance that impressed head coach JJ Redick. His 3-point shooting ability is his best trait, but Knecht forced his way to the basket against Golden State, which led him to the foul line, attempting eight shots (made six) from the charity stripe.
Redick said after the game that Knecht has been the best of anyone on the team as a scorer in camp from what they've tracked, leading the team in (practice) scoring by 42 points.
"He earned the opportunity tonight to get a look in the [starting] lineup," Redick said on Knecht's performance.
Both James and Dončić watched from the Lakers bench for the third straight preseason contest as L.A. had a strong first half where they led by as many as 21 points behind a 51% shooting slate from the floor.
With half of their starters out in Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Al Horford, Golden State looked to Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga to fill their scoring gap. They combined for 36 points, with Podziemski pouring in 23 points and Kuminga adding 13, and perhaps the night's biggest play with a monstrous left-handed flush in transition on Jake LaRavia.
A 39-point third-quarter push by the Warriors kept it tight into the fourth. Nearly every bucket the Warriors got, the Lakers matched in the fourth quarter, eventually icing and putting away Golden State with the clock on their side.
The Lakers finished the game shooting 44% (12-of-27) from 3 and their preseason best thus far, 53.8% (43-of-80), as a team from the floor.
With three games left, Redick said Dončić will play in at least two of those. All three will be in different states, but which games he will suit up for remains to be determined.
The Lakers' preseason continues on Tuesday against the Suns in Phoenix, then in Las Vegas the next day against the Mavericks and finally back home on Friday versus the Kings.