What we learned as Warriors beat Lakers to cap undefeated preseason |Max Sporty|

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

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

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 of course also a factor.

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

Golden State’s scoring came from all avenues 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 takeaways from the Warriors, finishing the preseason a perfect 6-0.

Sharing The Wealth

Down their starting point guard, the Warriors’ ball movement was crisp as can be from the opening tip. Their first five shots taken were all assisted. In fact, the Warriors finished the first quarter with 15 made shots on 14 assists and only one turnover – an errant pass by Draymond Green, who collected five assists in the first frame.

Before halftime, the Warriors were up to 28 shots and had 21 assists, 15 more than the Laker’s six assists. They were led by Green’s five assists, and De’Anthony Melton had four, as did Buddy Hield. A total of 11 Warriors played in the first half, and eight recorded at least one assist.

As coach Steve Kerr rested Green in the second half, assist numbers slowed slightly, but ball movement remained raw for the most part. The Warriors finished with 37 assists on 51 shots made, turning the ball over just 13 times. They also scored 36 points off of 28 Laker turnovers.

Transition Treys

One of Kerr’s main points of emphasis during the preseason had to be a better team in transition, on both sides of the ball. Two examples in the first quarter highlighted how the Warriors can be dangerous offensively in transition with a plethora of 3-point threats.

Catching a loose ball off a missed Bronny James shot, Buddy Hield pushed the pace and hit Gary Payton II in the left corner. Hield never stopped running himself, either. Payton immediately rewarded his sharp-shooting teammate, who drained a corner three with one quick move. Hield all preseason was a weapon of movement for Kerr to enjoy receiving immediate offense from the bench.

Hield and Payton then found themselves leading the way a minute later for another transition three, only this time it was from Podziemski’s left hand. Payton grabbed a rebound off a Lakers missed shot and dribbled down the court to find an open Hield behind the 3-point line from the right wing. But instead of letting it fly, Hield fed the ball to a wide-open Podziemski for three more points.

Golden State’s offense led to going 13 of 36 from deep, Kerr can point to these two examples as positives in a film review.

Owning The Paint

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

Their first offensive possession resulted in a cutaway Andrew Wiggins getting to the free throw line on a shot just a few feet from the hoop. Then, the first shot made by the Warriors was from a Kuminga deposit, cutting off a split action and Bronny James not paying attention to him. The next time down the court, a sprinting Kuminga filled the lane and found his way to two more points.

While Kuminga got better as an outside shooter, he continues to be nearly impossible to stop when he’s on the run and using his athleticism. Just look at his first-half shot chart, where Kuminga scored 12 points without taking an outside shot.

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

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