Warriors erase 20-point deficit to beat Lakers, 101-89

Golden State erased a 20-point deficit against the Lakers on Tuesday, turning a difficult first half into a preseason win through a much tighter defensive finish and timely scoring from its reserves.

Austin Reaves had given Los Angeles much of its early offense. ESPN published highlights of Reaves’ 28-point performance against Golden State.

The Warriors won 101-89 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Yaxel Lendeborg and Brandin Podziemski scored 17 points apiece for Golden State, while Reaves led all scorers with 28 points and added seven assists. The Lakers led 63-50 at halftime, but managed only 26 points in the second half.

Golden State first reduced the gap by winning the third quarter 22-13. Los Angeles still led 76-72 entering the fourth, leaving the Warriors with work to do after a first half in which the Lakers’ advantage had reached 20.

Podziemski helped bring the teams level with two baskets in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. After the Lakers went back ahead, Gui Santos made two free throws to tie the game at 78. A Podziemski three at 8:38 and a Santos three at 8:13 then put Golden State ahead 84-78.

The Warriors kept building from there. Gary Payton II scored on consecutive running layups to make it 88-80. Will Richard later made three fourth-quarter threes, at 4:30, 2:06 and 1:37, giving the closing lineup enough offense to keep Los Angeles from recovering. Golden State won the final quarter 29-13.

The Lakers’ ball security was a major problem throughout the game. Los Angeles finished with 30 total turnovers, while the Warriors recorded 20 steals. Golden State committed 20 turnovers of its own, so the evening still supplied plenty for both coaching staffs to review despite the winner’s improved finish.

The result did not come from particularly strong shooting. Golden State made 33 of 84 field-goal attempts and 14 of 50 threes. Los Angeles finished 33-for-76 overall and 9-for-34 from beyond the arc. The Lakers won the rebounding count 45-40, but could not sustain their first-half scoring pace.

Lendeborg added five rebounds and four assists to his 17 points. Podziemski made three of seven threes and also had five rebounds. Stephen Curry scored 11 points, including three three-pointers, while Santos finished with 10 points and five rebounds.

Walker Kessler contributed 11 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles. Sandro Mamukelashvili had 10 points and seven boards, and Jaden Hardy scored 10. Reaves made 10 of 18 shots and four of seven threes, but his scoring could not cover the Lakers’ second-half problems.

The preseason setting and changing lineups keep this from being a forecast of the regular-season matchup. What Golden State can take from the night is more concrete: it recovered from a large deficit, found scoring from several players in the fourth, and allowed Los Angeles only 13 points in each of the final two quarters.

Sources

ESPN: October 13 final box score and full play-by-play