Hart happy to guard anyone
LAKERS 128 SACRAMENTO 123
David West, the retired power forward who played with the Warriors last year, offered one part of the reason he’s retired in a Thursday night tweet.
Josh Hart, the Lakers 6foot-5 guard, played him too tough when the Laker played the Warriors.
“Hips were tripping that night,” West wrote. “Time to hang it up bruh I said to myself in the game.”
On Thursday night, in a 128-123 win over the Sacramento Kings, Lakers Coach Luke Walton gave Hart his second start of the preseason at shooting guard. Hart is competing with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to be the Lakers’ starting shooting guard. It’s Hart’s defensive capability that gives him his edge.
“With Josh last year every time he switched onto a big [man] we were good,” Walton said. “We kept our tight shell and we played good defense. We weren’t just sending a double team man over right away to try to take away that mismatch.”
Thursday’s game was the Lakers’ first win of the preseason and they did it in dramatic fashion. With the Lakers up by one with 38 seconds left in the game, Brandon Ingram stole the inbounds pass. It was just one of his critical plays as Ingram scored 31 points.
“I thought he was great,” LeBron James said. “I think he was great all game. His pace, his ability to play the point, play the wing. He’s a very special talent and I’m definitely happy to have him on our side.”
James played 15:38. Like he has throughout the preseason, James did not play in the second half.
Hart added 17 points, the same as Kyle Kuzma, but his
influence is often greatest on defense.
On a team that likes to switch assignments defensively, Hart’s ability to guard big men is unparalleled among the other Lakers guards.
On Tuesday when the Lakers played the Nuggets, Rajon Rondo tried at one point to help Hart guard 7footer Nikola Jokic.
“He [said] ... don’t do that,” Hart said. “Let me rassle with him a little bit. … [I] tell the guards, cover yours and I’ll get this.”
Sometimes other teams’ big men will tap him on the hip during games as a sign of respect.
“I take pride down there,” Hart said. “I take it personally when big guys high post me up. That’s just me.”
Pride Night
The Lakers supported the LGBTQ community by holding their first Pride Night on Thursday.
Fans were given pridethemed T-shirts with a Lakers logo in rainbow colors and courtside seats were dressed in rainbow colors. Team owner Jeanie Buss wore a pride shirt and her hair in rainbow colors. The team honored Jason Collins, who became the league’s first openly gay player in 2013, with a Lace of Unity award.
“This is incredible,” Collins said. “This is my hometown, Los Angeles. I still live here. It’s great to see. It’s great to be here for the first-ever Pride Night game. Seeing the Lakers support the LGBT community like this, it’s incredible.”
Collins thinks the NBA is doing the best of any sports league at supporting the LGBTQ community. When asked what his goal was for true inclusion, he referenced the WNBA.
An openly gay player “like a Sue Bird can step forward, and everyone is like, ‘Great, go win that championship,’ ” Collins said.
“We have some work to do, because throughout male professional sports, at least in North America in the top five leagues, we only have one currently out male player, and that’s in the MLS.”
Ball still out
Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball missed Thurday’s game and has not yet played in the preseason. Ball is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery.
tania.ganguli@latimes.com