Lakers’ week in review

The Lakers wrapped their exhibition season on Friday with a buzzer-beating 93-92 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

A difficult (3-5) preseason ended with two injuries as Wayne Ellington suffered a concussion and Ronnie Price a bruised knee.

Earlier in the week, the Lakers announced that veteran guard Steve Nash would miss the season, likely calling it a career, with chronic back issues.

Nash, who had played well through training camp, will finish his three-year contract with the Lakers primarily on the injured list. The team can still look to trade him or acquire a disabled-player exception, which might help add a replacement player.

Many around the league voiced their opinion on Nash, a two-time NBA most valuable player. Clippers Coach Doc Rivers noted, “He just made the game different.”

Preparing for the regular season, the team waived Jeremy Tyler, Keith Appling, Roscoe Smith and Jabari Brown, trimming the roster to 15.

After opening the preseason with a win, the Lakers had three poor performances before bouncing back against the Utah Jazz. The Lakers lost a close one in overtime against the Phoenix Suns, but managed to get a win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Rookie forward Julius Randle struggled at times, though he provided glimpses of his potential, especially in a big game against the Blazers. Center/forward Ed Davis also impressed, making most of his shot attempts through the preseason.

Point guard Jeremy Lin, who had suffered a pair of sprained ankles, returned to play against the Suns. Coach Byron Scott had Lin come off the bench behind Price, but Hall of Famer Magic Johnson suggested via Twitter that Lin should start.

With Price probable but not definite for the season opener against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, Lin will indeed start against his former team.

Scott, who won titles with the Lakers as a player, will face a sizable challenge guiding the team through a difficult Western Conference -- even with Oklahoma City all-star Kevin Durant sidelined with a foot injury.

In his 19th season, Kobe Bryant remains the Lakers best hope -- but analysts don’t think his effort will be enough. NBA general managers ranked Bryant as the league’s third-best shooting guard.

Lakers owner/executive Jeanie Buss defended Bryant, the subject of a scathing report claiming that the all-star was harming the organization. Buss said that any free agents afraid to play with Bryant were “losers.”

Bryant made six preseason appearances, averaging 19 points with 4 assists and 1.7 steals a game.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus