Down 20, Up 12: A Comeback That Didn't Fix the Giveaways
Golden State erased a 20-point deficit to beat the Lakers 101-89, but the turnovers that dug the hole are turning into the real preseason story.
The Warriors trailed by 20 in the third quarter before answering with a 14-0 run and an 8-0 close to escape Las Vegas with a win. Brandin Podziemski and Yaxel Lendeborg each scored 17, while turnovers kept piling up.
The hole and the recovery
Los Angeles built a 20-point lead in the third quarter off an 11-0 run. Golden State answered with a 14-0 run, then closed the fourth quarter on an 8-0 burst to go up 84-79, erasing the deficit for a 101-89 win. Charles Bassey started for a resting Draymond Green and finished with 8 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in 27 minutes, a plus-11 matched by De'Anthony Melton and Will Richard off the bench.
The turnovers didn't go away
Golden State still committed 20 turnovers to the Lakers' 30, a gap that hides a longer pattern: Dalton Johnson counted 104 Warriors turnovers through five preseason games. Stephen Curry had his quietest night of the preseason, going 3-for-9 for 11 points in 23 minutes and finishing minus-3. Podziemski and Lendeborg carried the offense instead, combining for 34 points on 11-of-23 shooting.
What's ahead
The preseason closes Friday at Chase Center against the Trail Blazers before the regular-season opener October 21, a third meeting with the Lakers this month, this time on ESPN. Golden State has already beaten Los Angeles twice in October, 124-98 and 101-89.
The open question
Draymond Green and Al Horford are both day-to-day for rest, each with an estimated return of October 16, the same date as the preseason finale. Whether that is enough time to have both reintegrated before the opener at the Lakers is still open.
How did the Warriors come back from 20 down against the Lakers?
Golden State answered an 11-0 Lakers run with a 14-0 run of its own, then closed on an 8-0 burst in the fourth quarter to win 101-89 on October 13.
Why did Charles Bassey start for the Warriors against the Lakers?
Draymond Green was resting that night, and Bassey filled in with 8 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in 27 minutes, finishing plus-11.
