With LeBron James and Anthony Davis both sitting out the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, it set the stage for the young guys to shine. And in particular, Dalton Knecht and Max Christie gave the fans a whole lot to get excited about.
Knecht tied for the Lakers team-high with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting to go along with three rebounds and two assists.
Meanwhile, Christie showed off his improvements on both ends with 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks, but the Lakers ultimately fell to the Timberwolves 124-107.
In addition to Davis and James, the Lakers were also without Cam Reddish, Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood so the frontcourt was extremely thin, leading to some issues on the glass.
Despite the final outcome, there were still many positives to takeaway for the Lakers. Austin Reaves struggled from the field, but was excellent everywhere else as the team’s primary creator. His work at the foul line helped him to finish with 16 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Jalen Hood-Schifino also looked much more comfortable and finished with six points and six assists with no turnovers.
Other Lakers regulars were also solid as D’Angelo Russell finished with 14 points and three assists while Gabe Vincent added 11 points with a pair of 3-pointers off the bench. Both Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura added nine points and six rebounds apiece.
Even in a losing effort, the energy on both ends of the court was excellent in JJ Redick’s head coaching debut. He admitted the execution wasn’t always ideal, but that is to be expected in the first preseason game.
The Lakers had nine steals and 12 blocks as a team with Bronny James leading the way with three rejections on the night. Bronny also got his first basket late in the game, a driving layup that brought the crowd to their feet.
The Timberwolves were without Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, but it didn’t matter as they still had plenty of firepower. Donte DiVincenzo didn’t miss a shot while rookies Josh Minott and Rob Dillingham led all scorers with 22 and 21 points, respectively. Big man Luka Garza added 20 points and nine rebounds, taking advantage of L.A.’s lack of size in the interior.
Offensively, the Lakers were decent from the field as they shot 48.1% as a team and knocked down 21-of-23 free throws. But they struggled from 3-point range, shooting just 31.3% from deep while also committing 20 turnovers.
Next up for the Lakers
The Lakers have another contest at Acrisure Arena on Sunday night when they take on the Phoenix Suns before traveling to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks on Thursday night.
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