The Los Angeles Lakers look to continue their winning ways in the preseason and pick up their third straight as they host the Golden State Warriors. This is the Lakers’ first true home game this preseason and the team’s stars LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves are all expected to suit up after missing Wednesday’s game.
But none of those three have been the biggest story of the Lakers’ preseason so far as that honor goes to D’Angelo Russell. The point guard has been on fire this preseason, shooting 63.3% from the field and 61.4% from 3-point range while totaling 19 assists to just four turnovers. Russell looks poised for a big season and many will be looking to see if he can continue his excellent play.
The same goes for Davis, who has looked confident and aggressive on both sides of the floor in both games he has played. His perimeter shooting will also be closely watched, especially after head coach Darvin Ham’s recent challenge.
Both LeBron and Reaves acquitted themselves well in their lone preseason appearance and seeing more of the same would surely be a positive. The same is the case for the Lakers’ 3-point shooting as a whole.
The Lakers are shooting far more 3-pointers, and making them at a higher rate, than they did last season. Russell, Reaves, Davis, Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent are all shooting 40% or better from deep and Taurean Prince isn’t far off from that mark either. The Lakers being able to shoot a high percentage from deep opens up so much of their offense in the paint where LeBron, Davis and Reaves all thrive.
L.A. isn’t at full strength, however, as Jarred Vanderbilt (heel) and Cam Reddish (ankle) continue to sit out with injuries. Vincent is also missing his first game due to back tightness although it is only considered to be precautionary.
This is the second preseason meeting between the Lakers and Warriors with Golden State not having played since that opening contest. Draymond Green is still out for the Warriors due to an ankle injury, which makes things challenging as they try and integrate Chris Paul into their system and build chemistry with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
There is a bit of a rivalry forming between these two teams, no doubt helped by James’ history against Golden State as well as last year’s tense playoff series so the intensity could be a bit higher for this contest than a normal preseason game.
7:00 p.m. PT, October 13, 2023
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
TV: Spectrum SportsNet, ESPN 2
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Taurean Prince
PF: LeBron James
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Rui Hachimura, Christian Wood, Max Christie, Jaxson Hayes, Jalen Hood-Schifino
Projected Warriors Starting Lineup:
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Chris Paul
SF: Klay Thompson
PF: Andrew Wiggins
C: Kevon Looney
Key Reserves: Gary Payton II, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, Dario Saric
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