Coming off a thrilling overtime win against the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Lakers flew to the Bay Area to take on the Golden State Warriors in their final tune-up before the start of the 2024-25 season.
However, head coach JJ Redick opted to rest his regulars against the Warriors, which predictably led to a blowout loss. While it was an ugly loss for Los Angeles, their young players got valuable reps against the Golden State regulars.
After his strong performance against the Milwaukee Bucks, Quincy Olivari surprisingly didn’t see much run against the Phoenix Suns. However, with the starters and the rest of the rotation taking the night off, Olivari was inserted into the starting lineup and took full advantage of the extra minutes.
The Lakers’ offense struggled to find any groove the entire night, though Olivari was there to bail them out when they needed a bucket. The guard took it upon himself to create his own shot and wound up doing well, as he was able to get a few contested jumpers to go.
Even as the Golden State lead ballooned, Olivari continued to compete on both ends of the floor, leaving a positive impression on the coaching staff and front office. Olivari led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 5-of-9 from distance. He also added six rebounds and two assists in 39 minutes.
Bronny James also benefited from getting extended runs, as he clearly looked more comfortable on the floor and less focused on not making mistakes. Bronny seemed to play with a sense of freedom as he was aggressive, looking for his own shot and attempting to make plays for his teammates.
Bronny was Los Angeles’s second-leading scorer after Olivari, scoring 17 points. In addition to scoring, Bronny had his hand in several other areas, racking up four rebounds, one assist, three steals and one block.
On the other side of the matchup, Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors in scoring with 17, and Brandin Podziemski was right behind him with 16.
Overall, the team’s performance wasn’t great as a collective, but it was to be expected with the regulars sitting and Golden State running with some of their starters to finish out the preseason.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will kick off the season opener of the 2024-25 NBA season at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They’ll get a few days off before continuing their homestand against the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
