Jordan Poole dazzles in Warriors 124-121 preseason loss to Lakers

The Golden State Warriors have had a tumultuous past few days after Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole during practice last week. Given the turmoil, Dub Nation was happy to have some basketball to watch. The Warriors lost to the Lakers 124-121 on Friday, falling to 2-1 on the preseason.

Green remains away from the team as part of the punishment for last week’s incident. Klay Thompson was also out as he continues working to overcome some mental hurdles. Still, the mood was light before the game as the Warriors warmed up with star Steph Curry sharing a fun moment with Poole, handing him a trophy for finishing ahead of him in free-throw percentage last season.

Both teams started off strong offensively, as should be expected against preseason intensity defense. The Lakers led 35-33 in the first quarter, with Anthony Davis dominating, particularly against players who have virtually zero chance of cracking the Warriors' regular-season roster.

The Lakers built a double-digit lead with Curry on the bench to start the second quarter (welcome back to an NBA season) and went into the half with a 60-52 lead. Davis had 24 points on 7-for-13 shooting in just under 16 first-half minutes, and Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn added 14 points as well.

Golden State’s starters answered with a 21-9 run in their final extended playing time in the third quarter, retaking the lead before Curry, Wiggins, and Looney were removed from the game for good. Curry scored 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting from the field with 4 rebounds and 4 assists in just under 25 minutes of action. Wiggins racked up five fouls in his 23 minutes but scored 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field. Looney had 7 points and 6 assists.

With the rest of the stars on the bench, Poole took over to finish out the third quarter. He finished the game with a team-high 25 points (18 of which came in the third quarter) adding 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block without committing a turnover across 23 minutes. He also had the highlight of the game.

James Wiseman was the most impressive of the remaining young Dubs. While he left several points on the board, shooting just 3-for-8 from the free-throw line, he still finished with 13 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes. Jonathan Kuminga scored 10 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in a solid performance of his own. Moses Moody struggled in his limited playing time, shooting 2-for-6 from the field with just 5 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist in 17 minutes.

Warriors rookie first-round pick Patrick Baldwin Jr. continued to flash his impressive jump-shooting ability in the fourth quarter, knocking down a pair of threes on his four attempts.

The Warriors third string kept it close late, but a pair of costly turnovers by Ty Jerome alongside an explosive quarter from Lakers wing Matt Ryan, who scored 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting from three, were too much for the Dubs to overcome.

Golden State will have one day off before returning to action on Tuesday, hosting the Portland Trail Blazers on October 11th with opening tip scheduled for 7:00 PM Pacific.