Luka Dončić did just about everything he could Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. But he’s going to need some help, especially with LeBron James sidelined to start the season.
The Golden State Warriors picked up a solid 119-109 win over Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night in the second half of an Opening Night doubleheader to officially tip off the 2025-26 NBA season. The Warriors held on down the stretch after leading by as many as 17 points.
Dončić, now in his first full season with the Lakers after a stunning trade with the Dallas Mavericks last season, finished just shy of a triple-double with 43 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists. He shot 17-of-27 from the field but 2-of-10 from the 3-point line. That was about all the Lakers could manage offensively for much of the night, and it hurt.
The Warriors took a one-point lead into the break after what was a pretty sloppy and chippy first half. There were 27 combined turnovers and 27 combined fouls in the first 24 minutes, and Marcus Smart had four fouls by halftime — including a bad flagrant he committed on Stephen Curry early while throwing him to the ground. Draymond Green picked up his first technical foul of the season, too, after arguing with officials from the bench in the first quarter.
Dončić, however, kept the Lakers in it. He had 22 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists at the break, and accounted for 12 points in the last two minutes to keep the Lakers within a point after two quarters.
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Jonathan Kuminga, who nearly didn’t get a new deal with the franchise after months of a contract dispute, then went off in the third quarter. He powered half of a 16-4 burst out of the break with a pair of huge 3-pointers to give Golden State control of the game again. They ended up mounting a 23-9 run out of the period before someone other than Dončić scored for the Lakers.
The Lakers got back to within single digits briefly at the start of the fourth quarter, and then went on a 9-0 run of their own to cut the game to a two-possession lead late. But the Warriors successfully kept Dončić and the Lakers at arm's length the rest of the way to grab the 10-point win. Curry put the game to bed with a deep contested 3-pointer in the final minute for good measure, too.
Austin Reaves finished with 26 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers' rally. Deandre Ayton was the only other player to hit double figures with 10 points and six rebounds. The Lakers shot just 17-of-28 from the free-throw too.
James missed the game Tuesday night while dealing with sciatica. The 40-year-old is reportedly eyeing a mid-November return, though a specific date is not yet known. This was the first time in James’ 23-year career that he wasn’t available for his team’s season opener.
The Warriors, on the other hand, were very balanced offensively. Jimmy Butler finished with 31 points while going 16-of-16 from the free-throw line, and Curry finished with 23 points. Kuminga added 17 points and nine rebounds, and Buddy Hield came alive off the bench in the second half to put up 17 points while shooting 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Though it’s still early, this Warriors group looks well-rounded enough to compete with the best in the Western Conference when things are clicking offensively. The Lakers, on the other hand, are relying on their one player capable of winning league MVP honors this season. That strategy, while it will undoubtedly carry them for a while, likely isn’t sustainable.
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