Lakers rookie Larry Nance Jr. dunks all over Warriors’ Festus Ezeli
D’Angelo Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, and Julius Randle, 2014’s No. 7 selection, who’s working his way back from a shattered leg that cost him all of his rookie season, have been the young prospects getting the lion’s share of attention in Los Angeles Lakers camp. On Saturday night in San Diego, though, it was the Lakers’ other recent first-round pick who elicited the oohs and aahs.
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With just under six minutes remaining in the third quarter of L.A.’s preseason matchup with the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, Larry Nance Jr. — a 6-foot-8 power forward out of Wyoming, whom the Lakers selected with the 27th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft and who thus far is best known for being Larry Nance’s son and for one extremely unfortunate tweet — decided he’d like to be known for something else:
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Mission accomplished, youngblood. (Must be nice to have the genes of a former Slam Dunk Contest champion.)
Throwing down a major in-game dunk, even in preseason, is impressive in its own right. Doing it directly in the mug of a real-deal shot-blocker like Warriors center Festus Ezeli? Even more so. Doing it by meeting Ezeli in the air, flush and full-on, and then continuing to ascend to the point that you’ve got the entire ball above the square?
Larry Nance Jr. just postered Festus Ezeli… pic.twitter.com/6l6DD5KgnJ
— Steve Noah (@Steve_OS) October 18, 2015
Well, that’s just bananas, even if young Lawrence himself seems to think it was just light work:
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Whether Nance found it particularly impressive or not, it sure seemed to put a charge into his teammates and the fans gathered in San Diego, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
“I get hyped if I see the team get hyped,” Nance Jr. said afterwards. “The bench is going crazy. It was something that if it sparks the team, that’s something I love to do.” […]
Lakers forward Metta World Peace praised Nance Jr. for throwing down “an amazing dunk.” Lakers coach Byron Scott called the dunk “pretty impressive” and also raved about Nance Jr posting eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, two rebounds and two steals in only 12 minutes off the bench. […]
“I knew once I got my two-steps down, there’s not a lot of people who can jump with me,” Nance Jr. said. “I tried it and sure enough it paid off.”
We’re sure Ezeli eagerly awaits his opportunity to repay that debt when the Lakers and Warriors meet again this coming Thursday.
Nance’s high-flying introduction to the NBA world was just one of a number of dope plays during the Lakers-Dubs preseason tilt, which also included fellow rookie Russell going coast-to-coast and behind his back for a sweet finger-roll finish:
… and Randle continuing to show off an impressive handles for a 6-foot-9, 250-pound four man, taking the ball right at All-Defensive First Team forward Draymond Green before finishing with his off-hand (Julius is a southpaw) and doing some woofing at the NBA’s preeminent wrestling heel:
… and rising sophomore Jordan Clarkson reminding vets Marreese Speights and Andre Iguodala that you’ve got to get a body on every opponent when the shot goes up, because at this level, even the point guards can bang on you:
… and reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry reminding us all that he doesn’t even need his feet underneath him to take defenders to school off the dribble and beyond the arc:
Unfortunately, Curry’s first-quarter slip was an all-too-common occurrence on Saturday. Spots of moisture on the floor at the Valley View Casino center — caused by the ice that laid below the hardwood installed for the exhibition contest — created slick, dangerous, unplayable conditions that led officials to call off the game with 2:16 remaining in the third quarter to ensure player safety. The Lakers got the W over the Dubs, 85-70, in the truncated affair.
From Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times:
“The officials said they weren’t comfortable with the slippage of players,” [Lakers head coach Byron] Scott said after his team improved to 2-4. “They felt that there was a possibility of players getting hurt.”
Four players had slipped in the first half, causing the officials to tell both coaches early in the second quarter that if it happened again, they would consider stopping the game.
As soon as [Warriors guard Leandro] Barbosa went down, the officials huddled up with Scott and [interim Warriors head coach Luke] Walton and called the game.
That led to some consternation among the fans in attendance, who booed inside the arena following the announcement of the game’s early stoppage. But especially in the preseason, discretion’s the better part of valor.
“We almost just killed ourselves,” World Peace said after the game, according to Bill Oram of the Orange County Register.
Those angered by having shelled out for an unfinished contest can find satisfaction Monday, according to the Lakers:
Fans that attended tonight’s shortened game in San Diego can get a full refund after 12pm Monday at point-of-purchase.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 18, 2015
And if they still feel like they didn’t get their money’s worth, they can always go back and watch Nance’s soaring slam another 20 or 30 times.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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