Advertisement

Five takeaways from the Lakers’ 109-85 loss to the Golden State Warriors

Share

The bizarreness of the situation wasn’t lost on the Lakers or the Warriors. These two teams have seen each other five times in the past two months, three times in the past three weeks and twice in the past two days.

Luke Walton was asked whether he’d miss the Warriors, and he quickly said no.

It will be more than four months until these teams meet again. Here’s what we learned from the Lakers’ 109-85 loss against the Warriors on Friday night.

1. Brandon Ingram played better than his stats suggested. In fact, Walton said after the game that until he looked at Ingram’s stats, he thought Ingram actually played very well. A player’s shot not falling isn’t always the best and is certainly not always the only indication of how he played. So while Ingram went three for 18 from the field, he did grab nine rebounds and two steals and tried to make an impact on defense.

Advertisement

2. Both Ingram and Jordan Clarkson played longer than the Lakers typically want. Each played more than 38 minutes. With their injury situation, though, that became necessary. With three starters out on Friday, those two players’ versatility became paramount.

3. This quote, from Larry Nance Jr., shows why the Lakers won’t miss seeing the Warriors: “First option is two-time MVP, second option is an MVP, third option might be the best shooter in the league and the fourth option is, you know … Draymond [Green], who’s an all-around threat. It kind of speaks for itself. Their firepower is unparalleled and it’s a monster to try and figure out, but it’s something that we have a long time to game plan for again, so hopefully the last leg of it will be better.”

4. Turnovers were a problem for the Lakers, but they weren’t a defining stat. While the Lakers committed 18 turnovers, the Warriors did too.

5. After 47 assists Wednesday, the Warriors notched 31 assists Friday. Not quite up to their record-setting pace before Thanksgiving, but again, the Warriors offered an example of how things work better when you’re able to pass the ball effectively.

tania.ganguli@latimes.com

Advertisement

Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli

ALSO

Warriors pull away from Lakers and now have NBA’s best record

Lakers rookie Brandon Ingram acquits himself well in first NBA start

Warriors’ Draymond Green says he quickly learned Luke Walton was a go-to guy

Advertisement