Lakers end NBA preseason winless, Pokusevski shines in a losing effort / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: USA Today Sports-Scanpix Credit USA Today Sports-Scanpix

The Los Angeles Lakers ended their preseason winless after their 112-116 (23-35, 42-36, 22-21, 25-24) loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Even though they trailed by 12 in the first quarter (23-35), the multiple-time NBA champions turned things around. Yet, the Kings stood tall in the end and ended their preseason unbeaten (4-0).

The Big 3 of the Lakers combined for 62 points. LeBron James had 30, while Anthony Davis added 14 and Russell Westbrook 18, respectively. Carmelo Anthony came off the bench and went for 15 points.

On the other hand, five players scored in double figures for the Kings. De’Aaron Fox had a team-high 21 points.

The Los Angeles Lakers now have their sights set on their season opener. They will host the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center on Tuesday. On the contrary, the Kings will face the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, October 20.

The Brooklyn Nets got their third preseason win against the Timberwolves, 107-101 (30-27, 19-30, 26-27, 26-23).

Kevin Durant (19 points and 7 rebounds) and James Harden (6 points, 14 assists) combined for 25 points for the winners, while Joe Harris added 23 points (7/10 3pt FG).

Anthony Edwards recorded 23 points and four assists for the Timberwolves, while Karl-Anthony Towns tallied 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists.

The Nets improved to 3-1 in the preseason, while the Timberwolves fell to 3-1.

In Oklahoma, the Nuggets defeated the Thunder, 113-107 in overtime (26-30, 30-20, 21-33, 25-19, 11-5), improving to 1-4, while the Thunder fell to 1-3.

Markus Howard led the way for the Nuggets with 31 points (9/17 three-pointers made) and 5 rebounds, while Bol Bol added 12 points and 12 rebounds in the victory.

Aleksej Pokusevski recorded 22 points and 8 rebounds for the Thunder, while Josh Giddey tallied 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists in the losing effort.

Led by Trae Young’s 27 points and 15 assists, the Atlanta Hawks eased past the Heat, 127-92 (17-33, 26-34, 29-30, 20-30). The Hawks improved to 2-2 in the preseason, while the Heat, who played without several key players (Adebayo, Butler, Herro, Oladipo, Lowry, Morris) fell to 4-1.

John Collins logged 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks, while Micah Potter tallied 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Heat.

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