The Lakers lost their final preseason game when they scheduled it. It was their sixth straight game away from Los Angeles since the start of training camp. They played in Phoenix on Thursday night and never planned to play their starters.

But preseasons aren’t built to be judged on things like winning and losing. They are about preparation. These are practice matches for when it finally really starts.

But because so many players were unavailable — the Lakers were without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Dalton Knecht and Max Christie — Friday’s game wouldn’t be about that.

This one, more or less by default, was supposed to be about opportunities, with the Lakers losing 132-74 to Golden State.

With so many minutes and so many shots up for grabs, the Lakers’ youngest players would get a chance. And only a few – Quincy Olivari and Bronny James – took advantage of it.

Olivari, the Xavier free agent drafted for a spot on the Lakers’ G-League team, scored 22 points and had six rebounds in 39 minutes. Earlier in the preseason, Olivari sparked the Milwaukee team’s fourth-quarter comeback thanks in part to the kind of three-point shooting he showed Friday when he made five threes. He also had seven turnovers.

And James, who has struggled during the Lakers’ preseason, played his best basketball with the extended run. James played with more confidence as the game progressed, making his first three of the preseason and catching a lob from Olivari for his first dunk as a pro.

He turned up his aggressiveness and played more decisively, shooting 17 times and finishing with 17 points, four rebounds and three steals in 35 minutes.

Read more: Rookie Dalton Knecht shows why the Lakers think they got a steal in the draft

Last year’s draft picks, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis, failed to make an impact against most of the Warriors’ regulars (Stephen Curry missed the game with a minor finger injury and Draymond Green played only the first half).

While Hood-Schifino had seven assists, he also had six turnovers. He and Lewis combined to score five for twenty. Cam Reddish scored one for eleven in his 24 minutes.

The Lakers will practice twice before opening the season against Minnesota on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.