The Los Angeles Lakers came out on top (111-104) in a sloppy preseason finale against the L.A. Clippers, who sat all of their starters on Friday night. The Lakers played down to the competition, and as head coach Luke Walton said after the game, took some ‘steps backward’ defensively.
Walton was happy with the Lakers ball movement in the first half, which resulted in 14 first-half points from Brook Lopez, who finished with another solid performance, since sitting with back spasms to start the preseason. Josh Hart also played some good minutes in crunch time, which Walton talks about below.
Brandon Ingram chats with us about putting too much pressure on himself and finally learning to relax and have fun on the court. He finished with 15 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
Larry Nance Jr. was once again in the starting lineup on Friday night, and although Walton maintains that the starting power forward position is not set in stone, he does expect to figure it out in the next few days. Nance Jr. opens up about the struggles of adjusting to new teammates and new lineups and how he needs to learn to channel his emotions better on the court.
