Before the game even started, it was clear that interpreting team-wide evaluations from the Lakers’ first game in five months would be challenging

The Lakers lost their preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors 127-110 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, without two of its best players and ball handlers in LeBron James and Austin Reaves, who were dressed in street clothes as healthy scratches.

Thus, the Lakers’ hold on the game weakened when they began to depend on their depth, even though they were leading by as much as four points halfway through the first quarter.

The Laker reserves were outscored 91–53 by the Warriors bench. It didn’t help that the Lakers, who had the same problem the previous season, had trouble stopping Golden State in transition.

However, this is only the first preseason game. Before games start to matter for the regular-season standings, the Lakers have a few weeks to work out the kinks in the rotation and transition defense.

Only two players who were known to be starters were available to play against the Warriors: D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis. James and Reaves were out.

Neither player played in the second half, but they both had their shining moments throughout their brief playing careers.

As he was on the floor, Davis relentlessly attacked the paint offensively, keeping the Warriors from even attempting shots close to the basket. Davis also commanded the paint on both sides of the court.

In 13 minutes, he ended with 15 points (6 of 11 shooting) and five rebounds. The most encouraging aspect of Davis’ performance on Saturday was that he made two of his three 3-pointers with ease.

Russell’s ability to make plays on the ball was evident after James and Reaves were out, particularly during the second quarter. In 15 first-half minutes, he finished with 15 points (6 of 10 shooting, 2 for 3 from 3-point range) and five assists.

Rui Hachimura also finished in double digits, scoring 12 points in 21 minutes on 5 of 12 shots and grabbing 7 rebounds.In 25 minutes, Max Christie, a second-year guard, scored 15 points on 6 of 10 shots and established a rhythm in the third quarter.

In their opening games as Lakers, Christian Wood scored five points on two of eight shots and pulled down four rebounds, while Taurean Prince scored two points on one of five shots. Cam Reddish scored one point on 0-of-4 shooting in eighteen minutes.

Reddish’s right ankle injured early in the fourth quarter forced him to leave the game. Halfway through the fourth quarter, Prince fouled out, his sixth foul in 13 minutes of play.

With only eight of their starters playing in the first half, the Warriors were led by Jonathan Kuminga, who finished with 24 points (8 of 14), eight rebounds, four assists, and two blocked shots.