The final preseason game for the Los Angeles Lakers featured more of a regular rotation from Darvin Ham as he opted to give the starters more run as a tune up before Opening Night on Tuesday.
However, the Lakers’ bench squandered the momentum from the first half and they lost their final preseason game to the Phoenix Suns 123-100.
It was a disappointing finish to the preseason for Los Angeles, though it wasn’t all terrible as the starters looked great in the first half. LeBron James looked explosive on the floor while the starting backcourt of D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves continued their strong play on both ends.
However, the star of the night was Anthony Davis as he once again showed that he’s ready to assume the No. 1 role on the team. Offensively, Davis was able to get loose for a couple of dunks in the first quarter and later nailed a 3-pointer.
While the offensive output wasn’t anything to write home about, Davis dominated the first half defensively especially in the first quarter. The 30-year-old recorded five blocks in the opening period, patrolling the paint and making sure that Phoenix got no easy looks at the rim.
He finished the game with six total blocks to go along with 15 points, perhaps a sign of things to come in the regular season.
James looked about as good as fans could have expected as he had his usual burst and speed in the open floor. More encouraging, though, was his jump shot as the King drained 3-of-5 of his 3-point attempts and went 6-of-12 from the field overall.
James finished the night with 19 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists.
Reaves also had an efficient outing as he scored 14 points on 4-of-8 of his attempts, including 3-of-4 from distance. The guard stuffed the rest of the stat sheet with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
The bench, though, had its worst outing of the preseason but there were still some bright spots. Jaxson Hayes provided some much-needed energy in the second half, while Max Christie looked more comfortable offensively when he got to play off the ball.
Kevin Durant was the only star that played for Phoenix and had 21 points in 17 minutes of first half action.
What’s next for Lakers
Los Angeles opens up the 2023-24 season against the Denver Nuggets on Opening Night on Tuesday. They get another nationally televised game next Thursday against the Suns and end the week with a matchup against the Sacramento Kings next Sunday.
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