Warriors Beat Lakers in Vegas Despite Low Crowd Interest
Golden State Warriors Steph Curry logged 23 minutes and scored 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting in a 101-89 preseason victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 14, marking his heaviest workload of the exhibition schedule as the team manages his minutes ahead of the regular season.
Curry Ramps Up Minutes in Las Vegas
Tuesday night brought a stark contrast between what an NBA showcase on the Las Vegas Strip commands and what the floor actually delivered. A three-quarters-full T-Mobile Arena mostly hummed with a soft murmur during a turnover-heavy preseason slog. Yet the disinterested crowd stirred whenever Steph Curry let fly from the perimeter. Curry played 23 minutes, his longest stint of the preseason, continuing a deliberate ramp-up designed to preserve his legs for the grind of the 82-game schedule. He had not played in the second half of any of his previous three preseason appearances.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke about the team’s desire to manage Curry’s preseason minutes, while Lakers star Luka Doncic sat out for rest purposes, leaving Austin Reaves to carry the offensive load with 28 points and seven assists while picking apart the Golden State defense in the pick-and-roll.
Yaxel Lendeborg Returns After Rolling His Left Ankle
While Curry stretched his stamina, the Warriors managed depth issues in the frontcourt and a mid-game health scare. Forward Yaxel Lendeborg scored 17 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out four assists before rolling his left ankle with 5:28 left in the third quarter. Lendeborg went back to the locker room for four minutes with team medical staff before returning to close out the quarter. Postgame, he dunked the ankle in a bucket of ice water and told the Bay Area News Group that it felt fine, though he admitted he might feel differently the next morning.
The center position proved more vexing for Golden State. With veteran Al Horford remaining back in San Francisco to rest and Draymond Green sitting as a healthy scratch after an hours-long morning shootaround workout, the Warriors started Charles Bassey. Kerr quipped “Experienced” when asked for Green’s injury designation. Bassey finished with eight points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks, but battled Lakers center Walker Kessler, who posted 11 points and nine rebounds in 16 minutes. When Graham Ike, Georges Niang, and Lendeborg rotated into the five spot, the defensive shortcomings compounded. Lendeborg looked lost against the 7-foot-2 Kessler. “This game, this pace, is super fast. It’s ridiculous. So I’ve still got some ways to go,” Lendeborg told the Bay Area News Group.
Empty Seats Raise Questions About Las Vegas Expansion
The atmosphere inside the venue highlighted ongoing questions regarding the viability of Las Vegas as a permanent home for an NBA expansion franchise. T-Mobile Arena curtained off its upper deck entirely, despite the proximity of both fanbases. Gates opened just 50 minutes before tipoff, leaving Curry to finish his pregame shooting routine with virtually no fans in the stands. The official attendance was announced at 7,471, featuring vast swaths of empty seats in the lower bowl until fourth-quarter three-pointers from Brandin Podziemski and Gui Santos briefly electrified the room.
Outside the arena, logistical urgency dictated the evening’s conclusion. Both teams rushed to exit the facility immediately after the final horn to board their flights before President Donald Trump’s arrival grounded all incoming and outgoing air traffic at the local airport. The Warriors return to the Bay Area to wrap up their preseason slate against the Portland Trail Blazers at Chase Center on Friday, while Kristaps Porzingis continues to evaluate an undisclosed health issue with team medical staff after missing the entirety of training camp.