After an impressive first win to start the preseason, the Lakers return home to Staples Center for their second preseason game
For a Lakers’ fan base that has dealt with its fair share of losing the past few years, Tuesday’s comeback victory over the Kings was a much-needed sign of success to come.
A win to open the preseason is a great morale booster, but it’s worthless if you don’t continue to build on it, which the Lakers hope to do on Friday against the Denver Nuggets.
The young team’s core certainly shined against Sacramento and proved that all of their hard work this summer has already started paying off. However, it wasn’t the high draft picks that stood out the most for LA.
Instead, Tarik Black, Anthony Brown, and Jordan Clarkson were the ones delivering the most impressive performances as they try to earn their playing time.
As Coach Luke Walton studies film and tries to determine his starting 5 for the contest against Denver, it will be interesting to see if he sticks with the same starters as Tuesday’s win or chooses to change it up.
Against the Kings, it was actually the bench that mounted the comeback and secured the win for the Lakers, but Walton may still choose to give his veterans some run to begin the game.
The Denver Nuggets have their own blend of youngsters and seasoned veterans to choose from on their roster, but their line-up hasn’t changed much since last year so their starters will remain the same. The most intriguing match-ups for this game will definitely be at the point guard and power forward positions.
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At the point, D’Angelo Russell will get a good test against fellow sophomore player Emmanuel Mudiay. Both are exciting young point guards that have been challenged with leading their team as the floor general.
For power forwards, the name of the game is activity and energy, which both teams have in bunches. The Nuggets feature “The Manimal” Kenneth Faried, who is a slightly undersized forward that makes up for it with his hustle and effort plays. The Lakers counter with Larry Nance Jr. and Julius Randle, who are both still improving their skill sets, but can usually make-up for their mistakes with scary athleticism.
Friday’s game should be an exciting affair for two Western Conference teams looking to build back towards contention. For Los Angeles, another 48 minutes of game action may also help answer some questions about playing time and provide a little more roster clarity.
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers
Date: Friday, October 7
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Arena: Staples Center
TV Info: Spectrum Sportsnet, NBATV
Next: Lakers Roster Outlook After the Preseason Opener
Be sure to join us on Friday to see if the Purple and Gold can build on the success they found in the preseason opener.