Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram admits he and teammates were well aware of the fact that they wouldn't be competing against the Los Angeles Clippers' best lineup on Friday. The Lakers and Clippers met in their preseason finale at the Staples Center. The visiting Lakers escaped with a narrow 111-104 win over the Clippers.
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers gave a day off to all of his starters and some key bench players.
Most notably, Clippers stars Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan didn't play against the Lakers. Instead, Rivers gave a chance to his deep bench rotation and the players signed for training camp. Guards Tyrone Wallace, 23, and 21-year-old Jawun Evans led the way for the Clippers. Wallace scored a game-high of 23 points, while Evans collected 22 points.
"We knew they were not going to start a lot of guys tonight," Ingram told Serena Winters of Lakers Nation after the game.
Ingram still happy to win
On the other side, the Lakers sent all of their available players on the floor against the Clippers. UCLA product Lonzo Ball and center Andrew Bogut were out as they are nursing injuries.
Lakers head coach Walton more or less split minutes between its starters and bench.
Though the Clippers were heavily weakened, Ingram claims his side still had to do its homework. The Lakers were the favorites to end on the winning side on Friday. The Purple and Gold eventually got the job done, but it was tougher than expected.
Lakers rising star Ingram, 20, had a good outing against the Clippers. Former Duke Blue Devil Ingram scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. The 20-year-old also dished out five assists and grabbed four rebounds in his 21 minutes of action. Lakers starting center Brook Lopez contributed to the team with a team-high of 16 points scored. Meanwhile, forward Julius Randle, who started off the bench, collected 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds on Friday.
"I think it was important for us to still worry about ourselves. We had to come in and try to play the offense the right way -- swinging the basketball...making the extra pass. On the defensive end try to be locked and loaded. I don"t think we were as great tonight...but it's always good to get a win," Ingram acknowledged to Winters.
Tough to get the right mindset
Lakers head coach Walton wasn't particularly pleased with the team's defense on Friday. Ingram suggested that not playing against the best Clippers' lineup affected their defense. The ones who suited for the Clippers were eager and determined to prove themselves to coach Rivers.
"Absolutely. I think just going into that game...of course, we thought we were way better. Their starting lineup was out. We knew from the start that was going to be an easy game. With players that happens," Ingram confessed to Winters.