Lakers Beat Warriors 127-105 in Season Opener
For the first time since 2018, the Los Angeles Lakers opened a season without LeBron James. If Wednesday night is any sign, the team is in good hands with Luka Doncic.
Doncic scored 28 points with eight rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 127-105. It was the fourth time in six years the two teams have met on opening night. This one marked the first night of a new era in Los Angeles.
Doncic Takes Center Stage
Doncic made his push to be the face of the franchise before the game even started. He took out a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times addressed to fans and paid for free parking at a nearby lot and free bike rides to the arena. He also grabbed a microphone and spoke to the crowd before tipoff.
“Hello, Laker Nation,” Doncic said. “Thank you for supporting us. It’s the start of something new.”
The usually quiet Doncic surprised even his own teammates. “I heard his voice and I was like, ‘What the hell’s going on?’” Austin Reaves told ESPN. “It just shows that he’s bought in, he’s all-in.”
On the court, Doncic had 23 points in 18 minutes by halftime. He ended the first half by banking in a shot from near half court at the buzzer and celebrated by letting Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg hear about it. The two had traded words earlier in the half, and Lendeborg was given a technical foul late in the second quarter.
“I knew that was going up before I got it in my hands,” Doncic said. “I work on those.”
Kessler’s Perfect Night Makes History
Center Walker Kessler, one of nine new players on the Lakers, was nearly perfect in his Los Angeles debut. He scored 26 points on 12-of-12 shooting and added nine rebounds.
According to ESPN, his 12 made field goals without a miss were the most by a Laker since Wilt Chamberlain in 1969. His 10 dunks were the most in a game by any player since Shaquille O’Neal had 11 twice in 2003.
Reaves added 23 points, and Jake LaRavia and Quentin Grimes scored 10 each.
Lakers Pull Away Early
Stephen Curry kept Golden State close early, scoring 16 of the Warriors’ first 21 points. Los Angeles still led 34-33 after one quarter.
A 17-4 run in the second quarter gave the Lakers a 66-52 halftime lead, helped by 63.2% shooting in the first half. They then outscored the Warriors 36-16 in the third quarter and took a 102-68 lead into the fourth. Curry finished with 23 points, 20 of them in the first half, and sat out the fourth quarter.
Brandon Williams added 14 points for Golden State, while Gui Santos and Lendeborg had 12 each. The Warriors were short-handed: Brandin Podziemski (lower back soreness) and Charles Bassey (knee tendinitis) were out, and Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler aren’t expected back from knee injuries until January.
Life After LeBron
James left in free agency this summer and signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. Reaves stayed in Los Angeles on a four-year, $180 million contract. Entering his sixth season, he is now the longest-tenured Laker.
Reaves said he understood why James chose to leave, and the two still text often. He told ESPN that what he misses most is how James treated him the same from the day they met.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr, whose teams faced James’ Cavaliers in four straight NBA Finals, felt the change too. “It’s weird not seeing him tonight and seeing him in a Sixers jersey last night,” Kerr said. “This is a new Lakers team, and a new Warriors team.”
Doncic seems ready to carry that responsibility. “It’s an honor to be the face of the franchise,” he said, “and I hope I can stay here a long time.”