The Los Angeles Lakers hope to beat the defending champions for the second straight game when they head to San Jose to take on the Golden State Warriors.
The Lakers are coming off of perhaps their most promising preseason victory yet when they defeated the Warriors, 123-113. LeBron James was near perfection in the first half, putting up 15 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in just 18 minutes of play.
Lonzo Ball also made his first appearance of the preseason and showed flashes of what was so highly touted about him last year. James stressed the importance of health after the victory on Wednesday.
Head coach Luke Walton and the Lakers’ commitment to health was confirmed when it was announced that James, Brandon Ingram, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Josh Hart and Rajon Rondo will all be sitting out the final preseason game.
With this, Ball will get the starting job along with an unlikely group of Lance Stephenson, Kyle Kuzma, Michael Beasley, and of course, JaVale McGee.
Caldwell-Pope will not even be present as he is heading back to Los Angeles early for a tendinitis treatment. Hart will still be dealing with a hamstring injury. Ingram will be out due to a sore quad from taking a knee there in the last game, and James and Rondo are simply being rested.
While there are still improvements to be made, the game is less about that. It will be about resting those who need it and for those players that are in the lineup to fine tune some things heading into the final week of practice.
Los Angeles Lakers (2-3) Vs. Golden State Warriors (1-3)
7:30 P.M. PT, Oct. 12, 2018
SAP Center, San Jose, California
TV: ESPN2, Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM (ESPN)/1330 KWKW (Spanish)
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Lonzo Ball
SG: Lance Stephenson
SF: Kyle Kuzma
PF: Michael Beasley
C: JaVale McGee
Key Reserves: Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Isaac Bonga, Alex Caruso, Travis Wear
Projected Warriors Starting Lineup:
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Jordan Bell
C: Damian Jones
Key Reserves: Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, Jonas Jerebko