The first preseason game of 2013 for the Los Angeles Lakers is in the books, as the Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night in Ontario, CA.
The game itself was fun and exciting to watch, which was reflected by the team’s attitude and body language as well. Therefore, it was very refreshing for all, even if it was a preseason game.
What made the win impressive was that the Lakers were without their core of Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, and Pau Gasol. That didn’t effect the role players, as Xavier Henry and Nick Young made their debuts in purple and gold memorable.
While Kobe will remain sidelined throughout the preseason, Nash and Gasol will play tonight. Since Gasol sat last night, Chris Kaman was told that he will be sitting tonight, per Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News:
In the sole interest of pacing himself for the preseason, Lakers center Chris Kaman plans to sit in the team’s second night of a back-to-back Sunday against the Denver Nuggets.
Kaman was also impressive last night on the court, posting 10 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in 21 minutes. It was also nice to see Kaman being active on the defensive end as well.
Mike D’Antoni also plans to scale back the minutes of Jordan Farmar, who made a solid return to Los Angeles with 12 points and seven assists. Expect Steve Blake’s minutes to increase tonight as a result.
Gasol and Nash’s debuts in the 2013 preseason are much anticipated, as both are healthy and are back in roles where they can be most effective. D’Antoni said that both veterans’ minutes tonight will likely be in the low 20s in order to ease them back.
The Lakers play the Denver Nuggets tonight at 6:30pm PST at STAPLES Center.
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Check out our interview with Chris Kaman
