LeBron to make Lakers debut Sunday in San Diego

The wait is nearly over for fans looking to see LeBron James make his first start for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lakers coach Luke Walton has announced that James will play in Sunday's preseason opener against the Denver Nuggets in San Diego. But just how many minutes he'll play has yet to be determined.

"It will be more than one and less than 48," said Walton on the Lakers' official website.

Lakers reporter Mike Trudell tweeted that James will likely play limited minutes.

Following practice earlier this week, James was asked about his plans for the Lakers' six-game preseason schedule. "I don't need preseason games [at this stage of my career] to get ready," he said. — Reuters

Coach Luke Walton: It ‘would be silly’ to tinker with Lonzo Ball’s shooting style

Aside from his phenomenal court vision, the thing that stands out the most with Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball is his awkward-looking shooting form.

Although he was a consistent three-point threat in his lone year at UCLA—knocking down a respectable  41.2 percent clip from beyond the arc—most pundits doubt if he can translate the success in the big leagues if he won’t tinker his shot.

So far in his first four games as a pro , Ball has certainly  had his share of ups and downs shooting the rock. The 19-year-old playmaker is currently averaging 29.4 percent from three-point range and 34.8 percent overall.

But as far as Lakers head coach Luke Walton is concerned, he won’t require his new starting point guard to alter his shooting style anytime soon.

“For us to try to mess with it would be silly, because the ball goes in the net,” he told Laker analyst for Spectrum SportsNet, Mike Bresnahan.

The Lakers currently hold a 2-2 win/loss record, with the second overall pick averaging 11.5 points, 9 boards and 9 assists per contest.  Khristian Ibarrola /ra

source: sports.inquirer.net

Lakers stun Warriors, end Curry’s 3-point streak

LOS ANGELES — Lou Williams scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped Stephen Curry’s NBA-record streak of 157 games with a 3-pointer in a 117-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.

Julius Randle had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the rebuilding Lakers, who pulled off their second straight shocking home upset of the mighty Warriors with an impressive effort from their exciting young roster.

Lakers coach Luke Walton also won his first meeting with his former team and his coaching mentor, Steve Kerr.

Curry scored 13 points while going 0 for 10 from 3-point range, ending several incredible long-distance streaks. He had hit a 3-pointer in every regular-season game since Nov. 11, 2014.

Including the postseason, Curry had at least one 3 in 196 straight games, and he had also hit in 116 straight regular-season road games – both NBA records.

Walton was Kerr’s assistant during the Warriors’ 2014-15 championship season and again last year, when he led Golden State to a 39-4 start while Kerr was recovering from a back injury.

Golden State didn’t lose its second game under Walton that year until Dec. 30, but these reconfigured Warriors are off to a 4-2 start with this shocker coming one night after an important victory over Oklahoma City.

The young, exciting Lakers jumped to a 21-point lead in the third quarter with ball movement resembling the Warriors’ style. They fought off star-studded Golden State’s challenge in the fourth quarter with huge games from Williams and Randle, their versatile forward. D’Angelo Russell added 17 points, and rookie Brandon Ingram had 12.

Golden State lost 112-95 to the Lakers at Staples Center in March, one of the biggest regular-season upsets in NBA history and one of the Warriors’ mere nine losses last season.

One night after Kevin Durant scored 39 points against his former Thunder teammates, the Warriors got off to an awfully slow start in LA.

The Warriors scored a season-low 15 points in the first quarter. That’s also the fewest points allowed by the Lakers in any quarter this season.

Golden State missed its first seven 3-pointers, only getting its first on Andre Iguodala’s buzzer-beater. Durant, Curry and Klay Thompson were a combined 5 for 18.

source: sports.inquirer.net