What we learned as Warriors beat Lakers to end undefeated preseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – Even without Steph Curry, the Warriors completed their undefeated preseason at Chase Center on Friday night, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 132-74.

Of course, the Lakers resting LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura on the second night of a back-to-back was also a factor.

From start to finish, however, this was nothing short of pure Warriors dominance. They were up 18 points after the first quarter, 26 at halftime, 42 in three quarters and ultimately won by 58 points.

Golden State’s goals came from all sides as six players scored in double figures. Jonathan Kuminga scored a team-high 17 points, followed by 16 from Brandin Podziemski, who was an absurd plus-39.

Bronny James started for the Lakers and scored 17 points in 35 minutes on 7-of-17 shooting.

Here are three picks from the Warriors who finished the preseason a perfect 6-0.

Sharing the wealth

Past their starting point guard, the Warriors’ ball movement was as crisp as can be from the opening tip. Their first five shots made were all assisted. In fact, the Warriors finished the first quarter with fifteen shots made on fourteen assists and just one turnover – an errant pass from Draymond Green, who tallied five assists in the first frame.

By halftime, the Warriors had already made 28 shots and had 21 assists, 15 more than the Lakers’ six assists. They were led by Green’s five assists, and De’Anthony Melton had four, as did Buddy Hield. A total of eleven Warriors played in the first half, eight of which recorded at least one assist.

When coach Steve Kerr rested Green in the second half, the assist numbers dropped off a bit, but for the most part the ball movement remained crisp. The Warriors finished with 37 assists on 51 shots made, turning the ball over just 13 times. They also scored 36 points off 28 Lakers turnovers.

Transition Treys

One of Kerr’s main focuses during the preseason was to be a better team in transition, on both sides of the ball. Two examples in the first quarter stood out how the Warriors can be dangerous offensively in transition with an abundance of three-point threats.

Buddy Hield picked up a loose ball from a missed shot by Bronny James, picked up the pace and hit Gary Payton II in the left corner. Hield himself never stopped running. Payton immediately rewarded his sharp-shooting teammate, who drained the corner three in one swift move. The entire preseason has been a weapons-out move that Kerr should relish if he were to be attacked straight away from the bench.

Hield and Payton found themselves in front a minute later for another transition three, but this time it was from Podziemski’s left. Payton grabbed a rebound on a missed Lakers shot and dribbled down the court and found an open Hield behind the three-point line from the right wing. But instead of letting it fly, Hield handed the ball to a wide-open Podziemski for another three points.

Golden State’s run-and-gun offense made 13 of 36 from deep. Kerr can point to these two examples as positives in film reviews.

Owning the paint

For a team that shoots threes left and right all game, it was the paint that the Warriors owned early and often. Of their 36 points in the first quarter, 22 came in the paint. They scored 66 points in the first half and 40 came in the paint. This wasn’t a case of old-fashioned basketball, but another form of the Warriors excelling at moving without the ball.

Their first offensive possession resulted in a slashing Andrew Wiggins reaching the free throw line on a shooting foul just a few feet from the hoop. Then the Warriors’ first shot came off a Kuminga layup, cutting off a split action and leaving Bronny James paying no attention. Next time on the field, a sprinting Kuminga filled the track and found his way to two more points.

While Kuminga has improved as an outside shooter, he is still nearly impossible to stop on the run and utilizes his athleticism. Just look at his shot chart for the first half, where Kuminga scored 12 points without making an outside shot.

There will be nights when the Warriors’ three balls don’t fall. Having options like the attacking Kuminga and Wiggins, plus Trayce Jackson-Davis as a rim runner and lob threat, will be a refreshing change of pace to combat poor shooting games. The Warriors scored 68 points in Friday night’s win to close out the preseason, which was 32 more than the Lakers’ total of 36.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast