Five takeaways from the Lakers’ 112-107 loss to the Warriors
The Las Vegas road trip is over and the Lakers went back to Los Angeles right afterward. Though the team lost both games there, Lakers Coach Luke Walton found plenty of teaching moments. Here are five takeaways from the Lakers’ 112-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
1 — This young team can learn a lot from the Warriors. They trailed 74-47 at halftime, and it could have been even worse than that. The way the Warriors pass the ball, the way they shoot, their cuts and their defensive play are all elements Walton wants the Lakers to learn from. So while the Lakers haven’t been doing too much film study of other teams, he expects he’ll show clips of the Warriors doing what L.A. wants to do.
2 — The ideal for forward Julius Randle’s development is that he turns into the kind of player Draymond Green is. They have some similarities in size, and Walton actually uses certain elements of Green’s game as an example for Randle to study. That’s not to say he’s there yet. But Walton called the comparison between the two a good one.
3 — Shooting guard Lou Williams got the night off, and Jordan Clarkson replaced him in the starting lineup. Walton said the ball didn’t move quite as well with this particular first unit than it has with the other, but he also acknowledged the sample size is a little small to draw conclusions.
4 — Nick Young offered some jolts of energy with his shooting. He made six of nine shots, including three of six three-pointers and had 17 points.
5 — Rookie Brandon Ingram finished with 12 points, three assists and a blocked shot. Ingram is making progress, but he is still looking a little more comfortable in practice than in games.
Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli
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