- Oct 16, 2026
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SportsMafia Wire graphic. Photo: Troutfarm27 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Team logos via ESPN.
The Lakers' new trio of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler took the court together for the first time Friday night, falling to the Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena in the preseason finale.
The lineup struggled with ball security early, committing six turnovers by the end of the first quarter and reaching 10 by midway through the second. The Nuggets repeatedly blitzed Doncic and Reaves in pick-and-roll situations, forcing Kessler to work on the short roll in response. Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams started as the first-unit wing defenders.
Kessler, a 7-foot-2 center, had debuted Tuesday against the Warriors in Las Vegas after nearly a year away from the NBA. Sandro Mamukelashvili and Williams displayed immediate chemistry with Doncic during the contest.
"There's going to be some growing pains, just lack of reps together so far," Reaves said.
Coach JJ Redick's squad will look to clean up the miscues before the regular-season opener Wednesday against the Warriors.
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).