SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers entered their second preseason game on Sunday shorthanded once again, resting LeBron James and Luka Dončić. Minutes before tipoff, Austin Reaves also became unavailable for rest, leaving the team without its top three scorers against a Golden State Warriors squad at full strength.
Despite the absences, Los Angeles hung around early, behind a red-hot start from Gabe Vincent, who poured in 16 points—which he finished with—in his first nine minutes.
The Lakers trailed by just three at halftime, but a lopsided third quarter—where they were outscored 40-25—changed the momentum, echoing their preseason opener in the desert. The result was a 111-103 loss that mixed positives with lapses.
Head coach JJ Redick noted the improved effort compared to Friday’s opener, despite costly stretches to end the first half and open the second.
“We played about 38 minutes of good basketball,” Redick said outside of those two stretches.
Jarred Vanderbilt once again set the tone with his energy, filling the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 21 minutes. Redick praised Vanderbilt’s growth, emphasizing how valuable he could be if his shooting continues to develop.
“If he can be a consistent 3-point shooter for us, that unlocks a lot,” Redick said.
Dalton Knecht logged a team-high 33 minutes against the Warriors, 11 more than the next closest Laker, Bronny James (22). The second-year guard went 2-for-7 from beyond the arc and finished with 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
The Lakers now have a week to regroup before playing the Warriors again next Sunday for the first game of the season at Crypto.com Arena.