Without LeBron James, Anthony Davis and any actual center depth, the shorthanded Lakers lost to the Wolves in their preseason opener, 124-107, on Friday.

In a streak game, the Lakers started each half slowly before making energetic runs to get back into the game. The Lakers pulled within a point in the third quarter, but their only lead came very early in the first period.

Austin Reaves scored 16 points, grabbed five rebounds and had seven dimes. D’Angelo Russell pitched in 14 points and three assists.

Dalton Knecht dropped 16 points and went 7-12 from the field. Gabe Vincent played a great game off the bench, winning 4-6 from the field for 11 points. Max Christie had 11 points and seven rebounds, starting in place of LeBron James, and Jalen Hood-Schifino dished out six assists with four points from the bank.

The game started with both teams building a mansion with masonry shots. The rust was very evident for LA until D’Lo scored their first bucket. Christie then scored and took some of the attack. Knecht got his first minutes of action and looked good.

The Wolves’ newly acquired sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo scored 11 points to give the visitors a double-digit lead. Minnesota’s offense surged and led by 13 at the end of the first inning.

Not much changed for LA to start the second quarter. The Wolves shot 68% and the Lakers continued to struggle. Eventually, LA started to look better offensively, with Bronny creating a nice 3-pointer for Rui after blocking a shot on the previous play.

LA’s defense wasn’t good, but their offense continued to surge. Reaves was the first Laker to score in double figures. Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino helped LA further close the deficit with their productive minutes off the bench. At halftime a 13-2 run had left them only nine behind.

The lead was back to double digits for the Wolves to start the second half. Minnesota picked up their offensive firepower while, in true Lakers form, the purple and gold shots were once again missing. The lack of defense was a big reason why the Wolves got so many shots.

The Lakers scored seven straight points led by Reaves, who did a little bit of everything. D’Lo and Reaves were the only Lakers in double figures and looked like they were starting to find their form.

The deficit was back to single digits as the Lakers began chipping away at the Wolves’ lead on Reaves’ shoulders. Vincent connected on a layup and a free throw to cut the deficit to two. The Wolves went up by four points, but Vincent knocked down a three-pointer to make it a one-point game.

The Lakers ended the quarter with poor defense and turnovers that helped the Wolves go up 95-88.

Knecht continued his nice attack with a quick 3-pointer to start the final frame before adding a fiery dunk. Armél Traoré and Kylor Kelley had productive minutes off the bench to reduce the deficit to four.

The Lakers continued their defensive struggles as Wolves rookie Rob Dillingham put the team on his back. A 12-0 scoring streak in Minnesota ended the Lakers’ hopes of starting the preseason with a win.

Bronny’s first basket came as the game was ending, much to the delight of the Lakers fans during the game.

Key Takeaways:

The defense was terrible tonight and will need a lot of work this season.

Turnovers are the Lakers’ Achilles heel every season and they start their preseason with 20.

Is it too early to start with the Knecht Rookie of the Year talk?

Vincent will be a big factor for this team off the bench. His energy, defense and offense will provide the spark this team often lacks. He changed this game for the better when he started making his shots. It will be a big recovery season for him.

The Lakers’ next preseason game is Sunday against the Phoenix Suns at 6:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.