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Game Recaps
Warriors Return Favor, Pound Lakers
10.09.03
One night after an 18-point win in their preseason opener, the Lakers never got on track Wednesday, as the Warriors returned the favor from the previous night with a 99-83 victory.
The Lakers led 24-22 after one quarter, but never were really able to sustain any momentum, as the Warriors dominated the rest of the game, outscoring the Lakers 77-59 over the next three periods.
After the starters gave the Lakers the lead in first quarter, Coach Phil Jackson went with primarily younger players in the second, which is when the game got out of hand. “We won the first quarter with the first unit out there,” Jackson said. “The second quarter was a nightmare.”
“We had a breakdown out there. We had a little bit of offensive confusion. As soon as that happened, the players went to their natural instincts which is try and to score on their own, outside the context of what our offense is.”
The Lakers never did make a serious run in the second half, rallying to within 12 points at 59-47 early in the half, but never getting any closer. For the game, the Lakers shot only 37.2% from the field, including a horrendous 26.3% in the first half. By contrast, Golden State shot 51.9% for the game.
Gary Payton led the Lakers with 11 points. Shaquille 0’Neal, Kareem Rush, and Jannero Pargo each chipped in 10. Karl Malone
scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds.
The Warriors were led by Speedy Claxton, who tallied 20 points in the win.
The Lakers next preseason game will be Tuesday, October 21 against the Phoenix Suns in San Diego at 7:30 PM Pacific Time. Kobe Bryant, who is in Colorado today for his court proceedings, is expected to make his preseason debut in that game.
Link: Yahoo! Box Score
Lakers New Look Wins Preseason Opener
10.08.03
The Los Angeles Lakers, and their new cast of players, including Karl Malone and Gary Payton, scored an easy 107-89 win over the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night in Hawaii, in both teams’ exhibition opener.
A noticeably slimmer and quicker Shaquille O’Neal scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in just 18 minutes, and Payton added 12 points and seven assists as the Lakers coasted to victory. O’Neal was particularly active on the defensive end, blocking two shots, including a devasting swat of a Mike Dunleavy jump shot in the third quarter.
Kobe Bryant took part in the team’s pre-game shootaround, but is not expected to play in either of the two games in Hawaii. Bryant is scheduled to fly out today (Wednesday) to Colorado for his court proceedings on Thursday. Coach Phil Jackson believes the All-Star guard will be able to play next Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns in San Diego.
Slava Medvedenko and Jannero energized the Lakers bench, which looks to be vastly improved from last season. Both players scored 14 points while combining to hit 13 of 20 shots from the field.
In his first game for the purple and gold, Malone scored seven points and had three rebounds in only 22 minutes. Derek Fisher chipped in with 10 points, including a perfect 2-2 from 3-point land.
Jason Richardson led the Warriors with 20 points, and former Detroit Piston Clifford Robinson added 15.
The two teams meet again tonight in Honolulu. Game time is 11:00 PM Pacific Time.
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