What a Second Lakers Game in Eight Days Actually Tests
This week's rematch with the Lakers is less about the score than about what Golden State's thinned bench shows Steve Kerr before games start counting.
Golden State plays at the Lakers on Tuesday for the second time in eight days, then hosts the Trail Blazers on Friday to close the preseason. Both games fall while Jimmy Butler III and Moody sit out with knee injuries, which is why the minutes going to Gui Santos and Charles Bassey matter more than either final score.
A Rematch With the Rest Numbers Flipped
Golden State visits the Lakers again Tuesday on NBA TV, a second meeting inside eight days after the 124-98 win on October 6. This time the schedule favors Los Angeles: the Lakers arrive on four days' rest after playing just twice in the past week, while the Warriors are on their third game in seven days, the only one of that stretch on the road, with two days to recover. Golden State closes the preseason Friday at home against the Trail Blazers, then returns to Los Angeles on October 21, when the result will actually count.
A Lakers Roster With Its Own Holes
JJ Redick's lineup Tuesday won't be full either. Six Lakers are day-to-day: Dalton Knecht, Ziaire Williams, Cameron Carr, Arthur Kaluma, Walker Kessler with a finger issue and Collin Sexton with a lower-leg issue. Luka Doncic, who averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists last season, and Austin Reaves, at 23.3 points a night, are the two who can make the result lopsided by themselves. Last season's Lakers won 53 games at a plodding 99.2 pace; Golden State plays nearly a full possession faster, and that gap is its own test of which bench holds up.
What Golden State's Own Thin Edges Will Settle
Moses Moody is out with a left knee injury, not expected back until December 1. Jimmy Butler III is out with a right knee injury of his own, with a return date of January 2. Those absences are why Gui Santos is playing 29.6 minutes a night over his last ten games, 9.1 more than his season average, and why Charles Bassey has picked up nine extra minutes a night over his last three. By Friday, Kerr will have two more games to decide whether that holds once Butler and Moody are back, or whether it was only ever a product of who was healthy this week.
Why do the Lakers have an edge in rest before Tuesday's game?
The Lakers enter on four days' rest after playing twice in the past week, while the Warriors are on their third game in seven days and their only true road trip of that stretch, with two days to recover.
Who is out for the Warriors against the Lakers?
Jimmy Butler III, right knee, expected back January 2, and Moses Moody, left knee, expected back December 1, are both out, which is why Gui Santos and Charles Bassey have seen extra minutes.
