What we learned as the Warriors beat the Lakers and ended their undefeated preseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX score

SAN FRANCISCO – Even without Steph Curry, the Warriors completed their undefeated preseason Friday night at Chase Center, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 132-74.

Of course, it was also a factor that the Lakers rested LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura on the second night of back-to-back games.

From start to finish, however, this was nothing short of pure Warriors dominance. They had a lead of 18 points after the first quarter, 26 points at halftime, 42 points through three quarters and ended up winning by 58 points.

Golden State’s scoring came at all levels as six players scored in double figures. Jonathan Kuminga scored a team-high 17 points, followed by 16 from Brandin Podziemski, who scored an absurd plus-39.

Bronny James started for the Lakers and scored 17 points on 7 of 17 shooting in 35 minutes.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors, who finished the preseason a perfect 6-0.

Share the wealth

The Warriors’ ball movement was as clear as can be from the opening tip. Their first five shots were all assisted. In fact, the Warriors finished the first quarter with 15 shots made, 14 assists and just one turnover – a bad pass from Draymond Green, who had five assists in the first frame.

At halftime, the Warriors had made up to 28 shots and had 21 assists, 15 more than the Lakers’ six assists. They were led by Green’s five assists, and De’Anthony Melton had four, as did Buddy Hield. In total, 11 Warriors played in the first half and eight recorded at least one assist.

With coach Steve Kerr resting Green in the second half, assist numbers dipped slightly, but ball movement remained crisp for the most part. The Warriors finished the game with 37 assists on 51 shots made and turned the ball over just 13 times. They also scored 36 points on 28 Lakers turnovers.

Transition Treys

One of Kerr’s main concerns during the preseason was to be a better team in transition on both sides of the ball. Two examples in the first quarter stood out how the Warriors can be dangerous offensively in transition with an abundance of 3-point threats.

Buddy Hield picked up a loose ball after a Bronny James miss, picked up the pace and hit Gary Payton II in the left corner. Hield also never stopped running himself. Payton immediately rewarded his sharp-shooting teammate, who converted a corner three-pointer with one quick move. Hield has been a weapon throughout the preseason that Kerr should enjoy being able to immediately jump into offense off the bench.

A minute later, Hield and Payton took the lead with another three-point transfer, but this time it went to Podziemski’s left hand. Payton grabbed a rebound after a Lakers miss and dribbled down the court to find an open Hield behind the 3-point line from the right wing. But instead of letting the ball fly, Hield passed the ball to a wide-open Podziemski, who scored three more points.

Golden State’s run-and-gun offense resulted in 13 of 36 shooting from deep. Kerr can describe both of these examples as positive in film criticism.

Own the color

For a team that was shooting threes left and right all game, it was the paint that the Warriors owned early and often. Of their 36 points in the first quarter, 22 were lost. They scored 66 points in the first half, 40 of which came in the game. This wasn’t old-school basketball, but a different form of basketball from the Warriors, who excelled at moving without having the ball.

Their first offensive possession resulted in Andrew Wiggins reaching the free throw line with a shooting foul just a few feet from the basket. Then the Warriors’ first shot came from a Kuminga layup, breaking up a split play and Bronny James paying no attention to it. The next time on the pitch, a sprinting Kuminga filled the lane and found his way to two more points.

While Kuminga has improved as an outside shooter, he remains unstoppable when on the run and using his athleticism. Just look at his first-half shot chart, where Kuminga scored 12 points without making an outside shot.

There will be nights where the Warriors’ three-pointers don’t fall. Options like Kuminga and Wiggins as attack players and Trayce Jackson-Davis as a rim runner and lob threat will be a refreshing change when battling poor shooting games. The Warriors scored 68 points in Friday night’s win to close out their preseason, 32 more than the Lakers’ 36 total.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast