In their sixth preseason contest, the Los Angeles Lakers took on the defending NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors. The game ended in the third quarter with the Lakers leading 85-70 due to the repeated occurrence of the players slipping on the floor.
Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers with 17 points, with Julius Randle adding 14 of his own. The Lakers were playing well on both ends of the floor, although the game never reached its conclusion. Here is the recap of the action in San Diego.
The first quarter started off with a scorching pace, as the Lakers and the Warriors were scoring and clicking on all cylinders. Clarkson and Randle are continuing to impress, displaying their athleticism and relentless scoring abilities. Albeit a preseason game, Randle played extremely well against Draymond Green, at times even screaming, “He can’t guard me”.
Randle finished the first quarter leading the Lakers with 14 points.
Clarkson also had an awesome one-handed put back slam, exhibiting his athleticism.
Like Harrison said, Clarkson really did murder that rim.
Russell struggled to assert himself in the first quarter, shooting one-for-six from the field. There was a slight scare in the first quarter as Russell limped and showed slight discomfort on his leg, but he would eventually return to the game.
The pace to the second quarter started slow, but ended fast. There was a delay in the game as officials tried to fix the wet moisture on the court that continuously caused players to slip and fall. There were conversations to end the game if the problem was not addressed.
The game continued after the officials decided to give it another shot. The rhythm of the game was disrupted a little as both teams struggled to score until the last five minutes of the half. Marcelo Huertas made his debut for the Lakers after missing the first five preseason games, and it was an impressive one. After air-balling his first shot, Huertas made two consecutive runners. He also displayed his terrific vision, notching six assists in only 12 minutes of play. The flow of the game changed in the last few minutes of the half, as Huertas dropped dimes left and right. The Lakers led 62-53 going into halftime, thanks in part to only two turnovers in the first half.
The only starter to start the second half was Clarkson, as the rest of the line up comprised of Michael Frazier, Metta World Peace, Larry Nance, Jr., and Robert Upshaw. The most significant note to take from this quarter is that Larry Nance Jr. committed a murder on Festus Ezeli — like father like son. Nance took the life out of the whole entire arena after this thunderous dunk.
It was fitting that the game ended after that dunk, because I don’t think Ezeli wanted to play after that.
The Lakers will face the Warriors again on Thursday. Let’s just hope it goes the distance.
