The Los Angeles Lakers took care of business at Golden 1 Center on Monday night, defeating the Sacramento Kings 127-103 in the preseason opener.
There were plenty of takeaways from the Lakers’ dominant win, from the performances of some newcomers to Luka Doncic showing out with 21 efficient points in his first game action since the start of April. (So much for not playing in over six months!)
L.A. was far from whole last night, with stars Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler sidelined with some minor ailments, according to head coach JJ Redick. New free-agent signing Collin Sexton also sat out. Sexton, 27, was seen wearing a wrap on his lower right leg pre-game. The Lakers still pulled through, and in impressive fashion, even though beating the Kings isn’t exactly something any team has celebrated in at least four seasons.
Luka Doncic Credits Lakers Newcomer After Big Win in Sac-Town
Doncic, 27, banged legs early in the game, which surely put a scare into everyone in Los Angeles. Fortunately, it was nothing major. The All-NBA superstar poured in buckets in the short time he was on the floor.
Meanwhile, forward Ziaire Williams made the strongest impression of any Lakers newcomer in Monday’s win. From his usual defensive intensity and activity on one end of the court to his sweet 3-point shooting on the other, Williams left no stone unturned in his purple-and-gold debut.
“We all had fun out there,” Doncic said postgame, according to Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the L.A. Times. “Especially with Matisse (Thybulle) and Ziaire (Williams), just that beginning of the game, the start, that’s contagious for everybody, and how they start the game, it was inspirational.”
Williams, who signed a veteran’s minimum contract with the Lakers in July, recorded 13 points and one rebound, assist and a steal in 21 minutes. He shot 4-for-6 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from the 3-point. If he keeps sinking 3s like that, he’ll quickly turn into one of cheapest slam-dunk free-agent signings in Lakers history.
Williams Set the Tone
According to Nguyen, Redick showed a clip of Williams’ defensive energy to the team as it prepared to exit the locker room for the second half of Monday’s game.
“At halftime, coaches showed players a clip of Williams, a 6-foot-9 forward who signed on a minimum contract, guarding the ball full court,” Nguyen wrote. “The highlight then showed how Doncic’s energy picked up. Thybulle followed suit.”
Said Williams after the game: “You don’t wanna be the only guy out there that’s not being physical, not picking up full, not being a pest. Coming in, I knew that I saw that the team could use that, someone who could pick up full and could guard the main ball handler and really set the tone on that end. I try to just focus on that every possession.”
If anything, Williams made a strong audition for the Lakers’ starting power forward job. L.A. still has several more preseason games and plenty of player assessment left to do, but Williams was arguably the most impressive Laker in Monday’s stress-free win.
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