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The Lakers have alternated between outbursts of grandeur and general neglect for much of this preseason, and that was the case once again in their Friday night matchup against the Suns. Carelessness dominated the first half, but the headlines came into play in the third quarter, resulting in a 114-113 victory that capped a perfect 4-0 exhibition roster for Los Angeles.
Here are some takeaways from his last preseason game.
The less said about the first half, the better
For the second straight outing against the Suns, the Lakers trailed 20-7. Unlike Wednesday’s game, the Lakers took much longer to wake up. Phoenix ran over them to start the game, hitting nine 3-pointers in the first half and finishing at will in the paint, while facing little defensive resistance. The Lakers, meanwhile, couldn’t get out of their own way. There were numerous turnovers and mistakes, and just a general lack of attention to detail.
There would surely be a point in preseason where the Lakers played like games didn’t matter, and that was the end of it. Even without Chris Paul in the lineup, Phoenix built a lead that stretched to 21 points during the opening period, and the Suns were still up 13 before the break.
Anthony Davis has arrived
Davis had 35 points in 30 minutes, including 6-7 shots from 3-point range. The third quarter was his tour de force. He scored 19 points, got the ball onto the court and apparently contested all of Phoenix’s shots. Most of his damage on the offensive side came from jump shots; his step back looked good and he even did some pick and rolls. Fittingly, he capped the period with a three that hit the bell to lead the Lakers to one.
Davis, understandably, took much of the offseason to rest after a physically grueling playoff run. He only had 10 points in his preseason debut, but this was much closer to Davis, who is believed to be competing for DPOY and MVP in his second year with the Lakers. He basically played point guard for the Lakers without LeBron James on the court, and he brought the team back into the game.
Talen Horton-Tucker continues to shine
The Lakers got the ball into Horton-Tucker’s hands down the stretch, and the sophomore was back on track. He did some nifty pick-and-rolls with Montrezl Harrell and Devontae Cacok, which led to 18 points, as well as several great finishes. Horton-Tucker’s reach was also shown on the defensive end, with a steal and a block each.
The Lakers had minutes to give Horton-Tucker due to Dennis Schröder’s ankle injury, but it’s getting harder and harder to find a reason not to play him. He just delivers when he’s on the court. We’ll see if he gets them when the games start counting on Tuesday.
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