5 Key Takeaways After Warriors Dismantle Lakers Behind Yaxel Lendeborg
· Yahoo Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers got their first taste of what happens when the shots stop falling, and even JJ Redick had to call them out for such a bad performance.
After opening the preseason with an impressive 127-103 victory over the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles came crashing back to Earth Tuesday night, falling 124-98 to the Golden State Warriors.
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The Golden State Warriors shot 51.2% from the field, assisted on 32 baskets and received a monster performance from rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, who looked like a seasoned veteran.
Lendeborg finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot, shooting 7-11 from the field and 2-3 from three-point range.
Stephen Curry added 16 points and five assists in just 14 minutes, while Brandin Podziemski also scored 16 points on 7-11 shooting.
For Los Angeles, Sandro Mamukelashvili led the way with 15 points, while Jaden Hardy added 13 and Dalton Knecht scored 11. But the Lakers shot just 39.8% overall and couldn’t match Golden State’s offensive rhythm.
Here are five key takeaways from the Lakers’ blowout loss.
1. Yaxel Lendeborg Just Put The League On Notice
Preseason games aren’t supposed to produce many “whoa” moments, but Lendeborg provided one anyway.
The rookie was outstanding against Los Angeles, scoring 17 points on 7-11 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds and knocking down two of his three attempts from deep.
Lendeborg repeatedly found ways to impact the game without needing the ball in his hands every possession. He crashed the glass, ran the floor and made himself available around the basket time and time again.
His +21 plus/minus tells the story. Golden State was simply better whenever he was on the floor.
If he can provide this kind of energy, rebounding, and efficiency during the regular season, Steve Kerr is going to have a difficult time keeping him off the floor.
This was his true opening statement of the preseason so far.
2. Golden State’s Ball Movement Completely Exposed The Lakers
The final assist numbers tell the story: Warriors: 32 assists and Lakers: 20 assists.
That’s a massive difference. Golden State consistently generated cleaner looks because the ball rarely stuck in one player’s hands.
Draymond Green was a perfect example. He scored only three points, but he finished with eight assists in 15 minutes.
That’s Draymond doing Draymond things.
The result was a 51% shooting night. Los Angeles, meanwhile, often looked stagnant.
The Lakers finished with 22 turnovers combined between their starters and struggled to consistently create easy scoring opportunities. When shots weren’t falling, there wasn’t enough secondary playmaking to keep the offense afloat.
3. The Lakers Still Need To Figure Out Life Without Luka
When Luka Doncic is on the floor, everything makes sense.
When he isn’t? Things get considerably more difficult.
Doncic did not play, and Austin Reaves also did not appear in the game. That left the Lakers without two of their most important creators.
The result was predictable as Los Angeles scored only 98 points, shot 39.8% from the field and turned the ball over 22 times.
That’s not necessarily a major concern given the preseason context. The Lakers clearly weren’t putting their full offensive arsenal on display.
Still, it highlights a question the team will eventually have to answer: Who creates offense when Luka sits?
Jaden Hardy did his part with 13 points and three assists, while Dalton Knecht scored 11. But nobody consistently assumed the role of primary offensive initiator.
That’s going to matter during the regular season.
Doncic is going to dominate the ball because that’s what makes him so special. But Los Angeles needs to build enough offensive infrastructure around him that the team doesn’t completely collapse whenever he takes a rest.
4. The Lakers’ Shooting From The Opener Wasn’t Sustainable
Remember when the Lakers hit 20 three-pointers against Sacramento?
Yeah, that didn’t happen again.
Los Angeles went just 13-37 from three-point range, good for 35.1%. That’s not terrible.
But compared to Golden State’s 15-35 shooting, it wasn’t enough.
More importantly, the Lakers struggled to generate the same number of quality looks they did in their opener.
Mamukelashvili was particularly effective, going 3-4 from deep and finishing with 15 points. Cole Swider also knocked down three triples.
But the Lakers didn’t have enough consistency across the roster.
Quentin Grimes, who had looked excellent against Sacramento, scored 12 points but shot only 3-8 from the field and 2-6 from deep.
That’s the nature of preseason basketball.
The good news is that Los Angeles still has plenty of capable shooters. The bad news is that the team can’t expect 45% three-point shooting every night to bail it out. There needs to be a Plan B.
5. Golden State Has Real Depth, And That Could Matter
Golden State didn’t need a 35-minute Curry masterpiece to destroy the Lakers.
That’s probably the most encouraging takeaway for Warriors fans. Curry played just 14 minutes and still scored 16 points.
Green played 15 minutes and had eight assists.
Lendeborg played 21 minutes and posted 17 points and nine rebounds. Podziemski scored 16, and then the bench kept producing.
Several Warriors reserves finished with solid contributions, including Draymond-like playmaking from Ike, scoring from De’Anthony Melton and additional perimeter production throughout the second unit.
Golden State finished with 44 rebounds, 32 assists and just 10 turnovers.
That’s winning basketball, and that’s very encouraging for a team trying to maximize whatever remains of Curry’s prime.
If the depth shows up like this, the Warriors could be much more difficult to deal with than their roster might suggest on paper.