Lakers eyes set for regular season after loss to Suns in preseason finale
Palm Springs - The Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up their final preseason game with a 123-100 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
Before the finale on Thursday, head coach Darvin Ham said he planned on playing the Lakers’ main rotation for three quarters against the Suns. In previous games, their minutes were in the teens, but in this matchup, their playing time exceeded the 20-minute mark.
With forward Jarred Vanderbilt still out with a heel injury, the starting lineup consisted of D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
“We still got a couple of key pieces that were out in terms of Vando and Gabe,” Ham said.
The Lakers entered this matchup without Gabe Vincent, who was sidelined for precautionary reasons due to back soreness. Jalen Hood-Schifino was held out of the game for the second consecutive time due to a knee injury he sustained in their loss to the Warriors.
The Lakers made an emphatic start to the game, going on an early 14-4 run lead, led by Davis with four blocks in the first six minutes, forcing Phoenix to take an early timeout.
Davis finished with 15 points, making 50% of his 5-for-10 attempts, and recorded a preseason-high six blocks in 22 minutes.
A much-needed LeBron three gave the Lakers momentum after a bad tail end of the first quarter. Their nearly five-minute scoring drought allowed Phoenix to seize their first lead of the game.
In a back-and-forth second quarter, the Lakers regained their lead after a strong spurt from the bench mixed in with the starters. Bigman Jaxson Hayes gave them some explosive energy with some two-man game action with LeBron and even Davis.
With under a minute to go at the end of the first half, LeBron showed moves to the rim that no NBA player has shown in their 21st year in the NBA, getting a driving reverse layup after slicing through the Suns' defense.
LeBron finished with a team-high 19 points on 3-for-5 shooting from three and 6-for-12 shooting overall.
At the midpoint of the third quarter, the Lakers substituted their starters, turning the contest into a bench-versus-bench battle. During that period, the Lakers were outscored 35–15, as the starting lineup and reserve players contributed to Phoenix’s formidable surge.
The Lakers couldn't retake the lead for the remainder of the contest, but the young group, mixed with some bench players, showed high effort and promise.
Colin Castleton showed his bag with the ability to lead the fastbreak after a roaring one-handed slam in the fourth quarter.
“A lot of good to extract from tonight’s game, as well as the rest of the preseason,” Ham said.
The Lakers will play the first game of the 2023–24 NBA regular season on Tuesday, Oct. 24, on the road at 4:30 PST against the reigning Denver Nuggets in a must-see Finals rematch.
TO THE REGULAR SEASON WE GO!
