Dating back to last season, the Warriors came into Sunday night having won eight consecutive preseason games. The streak came to an end in their 126-116 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
The Warriors were without multiple key contributors, including Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford and Moses Moody. Seth Curry missed his third straight preseason game after being a late signing to training camp, and De’Anthony Melton (knee) and Alex Toohey (ankle) continue to be out from injuries.
Vying for a starting position in the backcourt, Brandin Podziemski took advantage of being a focal point of the Warriors’ offense. Podziemski had nine points through the first half and then caught fire in the third, scoring 14. The Warriors then only trailed by five points going into the fourth quarter because of Podziemski’s efforts.
Podziemski’s night was done, leaving the comeback attempt to the rest of his teammates. But Sunday night in LA belonged to Podziemski, showing how he can be a reliable scorer and playmaker, especially when the Warriors aren’t at full strength. Podziemski in 26 minutes scored 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting and also had five rebounds and eight assists. He was a plus-6.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ first loss of the preseason.
Shorthanded Starters
Down their top two players, adding Horford and Moody to the list of Warriors absences called for an interesting starting five. Coach Steve Kerr started with Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Quinten Post. Moody is out the rest of the preseason and will be re-evaluated in a week with what the Warriors are calling a strained calf.
“We’re not too concerned about it. It’s just we’re being careful,” Kerr told reporters in LA.
The age of the Warriors’ top players already guarantees Kerr will have to be comfortable with multiple combinations and consistently tinker with who his starters are. This was the perfect opportunity for several young Warriors and role players to step up. The score was tied 13-13 when Kerr made his first substitution, bringing Gary Payton II in for Post.
Golden State’s starting five began the second half together, and came out strong trying to cut down a 17-point deficit. The Lakers’ lead was cut to 10 points with the Warriors outscoring the Lakers 21-14 through the first five and a half minutes of the third quarter when Kerr brought Payton in for Post.
Kuminga’s Highs And Lows
Offense will have to run through Kuminga on nights that Curry and Butler are out. There were moments where he showed he can step up with more responsibility, and others where consistency continues to be a problem.
Kuminga in the first quarter twice took advantage of Dalton Knecht switching onto him in the post. He also had three assists in the first quarter. Then in the second, Kuminga went from getting his ankles crossed on defense to throwing down an explosive dunk that only he can slam left-handed with ease and authority.
Kuminga in the first half scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and had four assists. His fourth was a dime to Pat Spencer cutting into the paint for a layup. But Kuminga also didn’t have one rebound at halftime, led the Warriors with five turnovers and was a game-low minus-18.
There were highs and lows in Kuminga’s third game of the preseason. Kuminga played 22 minutes and scored an efficient 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He dominated around the rim, but missed his only 2-point shot outside the paint and badly forced one of his three 3-point attempts.
The process overall has been positive. Kuminga is keeping his eyes up and mostly has been in flow of the offense. He finished with no rebounds, six assists and five turnovers as a minus-10.
Creating Space
Between offseason additions and the development of certain players, Kerr has raved over the space these Warriors can create. He now can have an offense that plays four-out, or even five-out. When at full strength, that is.
The end of the first quarter saw a unit of Pat Spencer, Will Richard, Payton, Gui Santos and Trayce Jackson-Davis struggle to score with very little spacing. None of those five are considered threats to shoot from long distance. The start of the second quarter also was a struggle.
That group featured Podziemski, Hield, Kuminga, Santos and Jackson-Davis. Those five give Kerr one surefire 3-point threat in Hield, and a hopeful second with Podziemski. The Warriors as a team in the first half shot 19 percent from three, going 4 of 21. Payton was the only bench player to make a three, and no Warrior made multiple threes.
They also didn’t attempt a single free throw in the first half, while the Lakers went 13 of 15 at the line.
After making only four 3-pointers in the first half, the Warriors made three in the first two and a half minutes of the third quarter – two by Post and one from Podziemski – and five for the entire quarter. The Warriors made two more threes than the Lakers, 14 to 12, but shot a lowly 32.6 percent, which was far lower than LA’s 44.4 percent clip. Podziemski, Post and LJ Cryer were the only Warriors to make more than one three.
Richard (1 of 6), Santos (1 of 5) and Spencer (1 of 5) combined to go 3 of 17 on threes.
