3 takeaways as Wiggins returns for Warriors in preseason game against Lakers – The Mercury News

After falling ill in training camp and returning to work for two weeks, winger Andrew Wiggins returned to the Warriors.

And he immediately played strong defense, often guarding LeBron James and helping the Warriors limit the Lakers' overall shooting percentage in a 111-97 win.

In the team's penultimate preseason game, in Las Vegas against the Lakers, Wiggins started alongside Steph Curry, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Golden State probably would have preferred to test the oversized unit earlier in the preseason, but better late than never.

After that starting group, the Warriors built a double-digit lead and maintained a healthy cushion for most of the game. As the regular season opener approaches, both teams will increase the number of minutes, with nearly every starter playing at least 20 minutes.

The Warriors demonstrated their strength, seamlessly overcoming the lack of two rotation players and remaining undefeated in the preseason.

Although it was a neutral-court exhibition game, Tuesday night marked the first meeting between Steph Curry and James since they teamed up at the Olympics. Steve Kerr, who coached her on Team USA, described their summer experience as a “bromance” when he met with reporters before the game.

Curry reigned supreme, scoring 16 points, six assists and five rebounds in the Warriors' victory. Moses Moody scored 21 points off the bench, continuing his strong preseason.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors' fifth straight preseason win.

The jumbo starters

In five preseason games, the Warriors used five different starting lineups. That's partly due to Wiggins' extended absence, but the team is still eager to try out different combinations.

This one in particular was a real eye-catcher. Wiggins was the 6-foot-7 shooting guard, with the 6-foot-8 Kuminga on the wing and two non-shooting big men. On paper, that probably isn't enough to distract Curry. But there's a lot of athleticism and size involved.

But the device hasn't disappeared from the site. As with the previous four starting fives, the Warriors played about on par with the Lakers' starters and fell behind by two points after about six minutes.

The biggest beneficiary of the merger was Kuminga. The fourth-year winger twice took on Anthony Davis at the rim and scored a goal. Even against Davis, an elite defender, Kuminga had no problem getting downhill.

Later in the quarter, Kuminga ran his lane hard and was rewarded by Curry for an easy transition dunk. He also drove to the baseline and gave Jackson-Davis an assist for a dunk.

In his first seven minutes, Kuminga scored eight points, three rebounds and two assists. He finished the game with 11 points, six rebounds and three dimes in perhaps his most complete preseason performance to date. At the start of the second half he even pushed James past the defensive post.

Meanwhile, Wiggins struggled offensively in his preseason debut, but the touch around the basket and on the jumpers should be worth it.

“He's starting a good ten days behind everyone else and that's tough,” Steve Kerr told reporters before the game. “But the conditioning he came into camp with before his illness will allow him to bounce back quickly.”

It wouldn't be shocking if the Warriors tried out their small lineup in their preseason finale and replaced Jackson-Davis with either Melton or Podziemski.