Game Report: Warriors beat Lakers again, move to 4-0 in Preseason

It was more of the same on Tuesday night at Staples Center, the Golden State Warriors defeating the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time in a week to move to 4-0 in preseason. In completing a second half comeback to take the win 111-99, the Warriors dealt the Lakers a fifth straight loss and their fourth by double digits.

Armed with the team debut of new-look trio Lebron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, each of whom played more than 26 minutes, the Lakers continued to lack chemistry against a team resting Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

The Golden State Warriors made another strong showing in their fourth straight preseason win to get things started with a bang.

On the Warriors side, it was an all-around team performance with Jordan Poole again showing flashes of stardom with a team-high 18 points in just over 19 minutes, 14 of which came in the third quarter.

After leading by two points at the half, the Lakers seemed to gain ascendancy early in the third quarter, building a 70-59 lead which brought about a Warrior timeout. Following that, the Dubs, led by Poole, quickly erased the deficit and ended the quarter on a 26-14 run.

From there the bench unit put a stranglehold on the Laker offense, holding them to just 15 fourth quarter points to take the 12-point victory.

Two things we learned – 

1. Moses Moody may not have worked himself into the rotation just yet.

On the back of some strong fourth quarter performances in the last two games, Warriors fans have been optimistic on the chances of Moody cracking a spot in Steve Kerr’s rotation come the regular season.

He was provided with a greater opportunity in the absence of Curry, earning first half minutes and playing nearly 22 overall. However, he failed to fully grasp his opportunity, going scoreless on 0-7 from the field including 0-3 from three-point range.

Like all rookies and most players in general, we’ll see up and down performances across what is a long season. Whether we just put this down to one bad game is a wait-and-see, but on the basis of the preseason, Moody still has a way to surpass someone like Damion Lee (16 points and nine rebounds).

2. Did Gary Payton II win the 15th roster spot?

With the 15th roster spot potentially on the line, and having missed the opening three preseason games due to injury, Payton II may have put his best foot forward at the last possible moment. He began his time on the floor with a putback layup on a hustle play, followed by three thunderous dunks.

One game alone may have pushed him in front of Avery Bradley in the pecking order, but it remains to be seen if management will pull the trigger or wait for a potential buyout candidate.

Another solid, team-based performance from the Warriors who, with the inclusion of Curry and Green, will look to round out their preseason in a positive fashion at home against the Trail Blazers on Friday.