NBA Scrimmage Result: JR Smith leads LA Lakers reserves to win, Kawhi Leonard woeful from downtown as LA Clippers lose
On Day 6 of the NBA scrimmages, basketball action has been fast and furious in coming through. With 5 games scheduled for the day and the likes of the LA Lakers and the LA Clippers having already played out their 3 games, we take a look at the game summaries for the two NBA Western Conference powerhouses.
NBA Scrimmage: LA Lakers 123-116 Washington Wizards
The LA Lakers, leading the NBA Western Conference standings with the sizeable margin of 5.5 games, have the luxury of really not caring about these results. They rested LeBron James and Anthony Davis today and still came away with a more or less comfortable win against the shorthanded Wizards.
The LA Lakers started off with a 3-guard lineup of Caruso, KCP, and Danny Green. JaVale McGee and Markieff Morris got brief runs out - Morris marking his first appearance in the NBA bubble scrimmages.
JR Smith, appearing in his first few NBA games in over 20 months, seems to have shaken off all signs of rust. In a dominant 25-minute performance, the 33-year-old went a scorching 6-of-7 from beyond the arc and totaled a game-high 20 points. Dion Waiters, the LA Lakers' other quarantine signing, also impressed with an 18 point, 6 assist outing that included some clutch buckets down the stretch.
ALSO READ: LA Clippers star Lou Williams fires back at chastising tweet from former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins
The likes of Kostas Antetokounmpo, Jared Dudley, Quinn Cook, and Devontae Cacok had extended, 20-minute runs in the game. Frank Vogel and the LA Lakers' fanbase will, overall, be pleased with how their last NBA scrimmage panned out.
NBA Scrimmage: LA Clippers 102-106 Sacramento Kings
The LA Clippers are shorthanded by the continued absences of Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell, and Landry Shamet, who are all crucial members of their rotation. The LA Clippers trotted out a starting lineup of Reggie Jackson, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Marcus Morris, and Ivica Zubac.
Things looked comfortable for them for the first three quarters, as the LA Clippers led by 10 digits or more for long stretches. This was despite an outrageously bad shooting slump from Kawhi Leonard, who missed his first 14 jump shots for the LA Clippers and seemed destined to end up with a bad shooting night.
Kawhi amended his stats somewhat with 4 made field goals on his last 7 attempts for a 6-of-22 shooting night while going 3-of-13 from downtown. Paul George and Marcus Morris had excellent performances with 19 and 18 points respectively on good accuracy from the field.
ALSO READ: 5 Ways in which NBA players have supported Black Lives Matter from Orlando
The LA Clippers' lead, as high as 16 points at one point in the third quarter, evaporated early in the fourth as the Kings staged a spirited comeback led by Buddy Hield. With their starting lineup out and their best substitutes not in the picture, the LA Clippers could not stage a comeback and gave up a 102-106 loss to the Kings.