SAN FRANCISCO — Four veterans sat. Another got waived. The Los Angeles Lakers season, functionally over after being eliminated, still had to take the court — even if 80% of its once-projected starting lineup wasn’t available.
LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis and Carmelo Anthony all sat and the team cut Trevor Ariza — all while using their 40th different starting lineup of the season against the playoff-bound Golden State Warriors.
But in that void Talen Horton-Tucker delivered the best game of his career, a reminder of why the Lakers valued him this past offseason, scoring 40 in a 128-112 loss to the Warriors. It’s the third-year player’s career high.