ANAHEIM — Despite a brutal 136-97 loss to Golden State, the final score was far from the Lakers’ biggest worry by the end of the night.
First Team All-Rookie guard Jordan Clarkson left the game in the second quarter with a right shoulder sprain, putting his availability for Wednesday’s season opener in jeopardy.
“It’s pretty frustrating because that kid has done so well for us in the preseason,” head coach Byron Scott said. “He plays so hard. And obviously, even with this, he still has a very bright future. But it puts a damper on the way we want to start the season. It might be without him next Wednesday, so we just have to wait and see.”
The team will have a clearer picture of Clarkson’s situation after he undergoes an MRI on Friday.
“It was just a real sharp pain,” Clarkson said. “My arm just felt numb for a second, and then I came to the bench and Coach got me right out.”
Golden State of Mind
Defending champion Golden State blitzed LA with a flurry of shooting. While Lou Williams led the Lakers with 19 points, three Warriors finished with at least 23 — Stephen Curry (24), Klay Thompson (24) and Harrison Barnes (23). The trio combined to shoot 27-of-38 (71.1 percent), as the reigning MVP, Curry, added a game-best 10 assists.
While the Lakers’ 41.3 percent clip (33-of-80) could have been enough to compete, their defense was practically nonexistent. Golden State shot 54.7 percent (52-of-95), including 51.6 percent on 3’s. The Warriors’ 16 triples doubled LA’s total, while their 57 rebounds dwarfed the Lakers’ 34.
“We had an opportunity tonight to show if we’ve grown as a team, and I told them we fell flat on our face,” Scott said. “The second message was that I was very disappointed in the way we reacted as a team. When we started getting down, guys seemed to go their own separate ways and we weren’t together as a group. That was very disheartening for me.”
Two of LA’s preseason standouts also struggled, as Julius Randle went just 4-of-10 (nine points), while collecting six turnovers and five fouls. Backup point guard Marcelo Huertas shot 3-of-7 (six points) and had four assists outweighed by seven turnovers.
Brown’s Homecoming
Fountain Valley native Anthony Brown returned to Orange County and put on a show for his friends in attendance. The Ocean View High alum put together his best offensive performance of the preseason, hitting 5-of-6, including all three 3-point attempts, to finish with 14 points.
“It felt good to hit some shots,” Brown said. “As a shooter, some nights you’re not gonna hit a shot and some nights you’re gonna make everything.”
Notes
Kobe Bryant did not travel with the team due to a lower-leg contusion, but Scott has “no doubt in my mind” that he will be back for the opener against Minnesota. … Roy Hibbert grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. … Ryan Kelly finished with 13 points (4-of-6) and six rebounds. He also had a dunk right before the first quarter ended that was reminiscent of his game-winning jam on Monday. … The Lakers ended the preseason 3-5, though their win over the Warriors on Oct. 17 was not completed due to unsafe floor conditions. … A crowd of 16,222 filed into Honda Center for the preseason finale.
Click here for more Gameday coverage presented by Delta.
