Shorthanded Lakers drop Kings in third preseason matchup
Anaheim—The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings, 109–101, shorthanded in their third preseason game on Wednesday at the Honda Center.
The Lakers were without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt and Cam Reddish for precautionary reasons.
Reddish (ankle) and Vanderbilt (heel) are day-to-day, while LeBron, Davis, and Reaves are sitting out to conserve how much they play in the preseason in preparation for the regular season.
With their three biggest contributors out, the Lakers' starting lineup consisted of D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes.
D’Angelo Russell continued his preseason surge with a game-high 21 points on an efficient 8-for-12 shooting from the field, with eight assists and three rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
“The group that we got has been fun. A lot of good guys out there that I have fun playing with and just enjoying watching them do well, and when it comes my way I feel the same energy back, so I like where we’re at as a team,” said Russell.
In three games in the preseason, Russell has shot 19-for-30 overall from the field for 63.3% and 8-for-13 from deep for 61.5% while maintaining his playmaking with 19 assits and his defensive efforts with four steals.
Gabe Vincent showed how valuable he can be to this Lakers offense, either off the bench or in the starting unit with players out of the lineup. He finished second on the team with 18 points, including four three-pointers on eight attempts.
In 26 minutes played, Hachimura finished 50% shooting from the field on 5-for-10 with 13 points.
Prince continued his momentum in the starting group with 13 points and seven rebounds, and two steals in 20 minutes. Prince has made it tougher on head coach Darvin Ham for his final decision on who to start come opening night between Vanderbilt, Hachimura and Prince for the final starting spot.
After a rocking up-and-down first two preseason games, newcomer Christian Wood broke out with a solid performance in the Wednesday win. In 19 minutes, Wood finished with 13 points on 5-for-7, finishing at 71.4%.
“I think I’m starting to find my rhythm. I think I’m getting better every game,” said Wood on his bounce-back game. “I feel like the coaching staff is putting me in positions to find my spots on the floor.”
Rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino's woes continued in his three preseason game despite high praise in training camp. Hood-Schifino finished with four points on 0-for-2 shooting from three and 1-for-5 overall, adding six rebounds and five assists in 20 minutes.
Hood-Schifino, 20, still has a lot of promise and his play in three preseason games should not determine his future in the NBA. He has every quality you want in a young point guard.
At 6'4 with a 6'10 wingspan and his two-way ability, Hood-Schifino's stock as a prospect is bright and redshirting a season as teammate Max Christie took in his first NBA season could be the likely outcome.
The Lakers are set to face the Golden State Warriors for the second time in the preseason back home at Crypto.com Arena on Friday at 7 p.m.
