Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers started off their NBA season with a preseason matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both teams experienced roster shifts as the Timberwolves added Jeff Teague and Jimmy Butler, while the Lakers added Lonzo Ball, Kentavius Caldwell-Pope, and Brook Lopez. It was a sold-out crowd in Anaheim, something the Laker faithful haven't seen since Kobe Bryant was playing. The preseason was shortened, so, for a lot of teams, their main guys will be playing to get ready for the regular season.
Game recap
The new Los Angeles Lakers came into the game with a flow on offense that comes straight from Luke Walton.
Though he mentioned prior to the game that they haven’t done much half-court offense, the Lakers moved the ball well and pushed the ball well in transition.
Defensively, the Lakers defended with more enthusiasm than we’ve seen in a long time. Though there are still a lot of issues that need to be fixed, it was a promising look from them. One thing they need to cut down is their fouls -- they played solid defense and bailed out the Timberwolves with a foul.
Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma both looked great in the first half. Ingram came into the season with a new jump shot, and it showed as he hit a couple of threes and a mid-range shot. Kyle Kuzma showed a sense of urgency. He ran the floor well, and his movement around the court was very fluid.
The second half got a bit out of hand for the Lakers. The Timberwolves found a flow to the game and started scoring at will. Kyle Kuzma would help the Lakers pull within 10 with his 8 points in the third quarter, but the Lakers still struggled to consistently defend and score at the level that the Timberwolves did. A huge key to the Lakers pulling the game within reach was the Laker bench.
The bench did a great job coming in and bringing energy and scoring.
End of game notes
The Timberwolves closed out the game strong, but the Lakers showed a lot of positive signs. They have a very young group, so every game you'll see that immaturity come out, but they showed more positive signs than negative in Saturday's game.
Transition defense is a concern for this young Lakers team. Repeatedly throughout the game, the Timberwolves found easy cuts to the rim and created huge advantages -- whether it be 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 numbers advantages. This should get cleared up in due time and a lot of it has to do with the communication by the Lakers on the floor. It seemed as though players were unsure of what their teammates were doing, and that created opportunities for the Timberwolves. The final box score was 108-99 in favor of Minnesota.
