The Lakers opened up the season with a thorough beatdown of the Warriors, winning 127-105 on Tuesday.
LA led by as many as 35 points and scored 103 points in the opening three quarters. They finished the night shooting 58.2% from the field while forcing 16 turnovers, leading to 25 points.
The game opened with Luka Dončić connecting with Walker Kessler on an alley-oop dunk, a recurring trend on the night. Kessler scored six of LA’s first 10 points as the Lakers built a five-point lead.
Steph Curry quickly
erased that lead, putting Golden State up by three. He had 10 points.
Luka made two triples and entered double figures with 10 points. With 55 seconds left, there had been eight lead changes and 10 ties in the quarter. Both teams were having a solid offensive start. Brandon Williams had eight points off the bench for the Warriors.
Jake LaRavia drained a 3-pointer that gave the Lakers a one-point lead at the end of the first.
Austin Reaves started the second period with a floater off the backboard for two. Curry was fouled on the other end and made both free throws. Quentin Grimes had four points off the bench, bringing energy and stellar production.
The Lakers were up by four.
Luka connected with LaRavia for a wild layup. LaRavia had eight points off the bench for LA. Gui Santos shaved some points off the deficit for the Warriors, scoring five points. However, Los Angeles regained control and extended their lead to five.
LaRavia, Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili combined for 18 off the bench. Luka then proceeded to take over the rest of the quarter, jawing back and forth with Golden State’s rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, who earned a technical foul in the process.
Luka banked in a ridiculous half-court shot to beat the halftime buzzer, putting the purple and gold up 14 points.
Reaves converted on a midrange jumper at the start of the third period. LA pushed their lead to 18, prompting a Warriors timeout.
Out of the break, Kessler blocked Lendeborg.
Kessler added to his perfect night with two more dunks. He was 10-for-10 from the field.
Luka drained another triple, his fifth of the night. Kessler once again dunked the ball, which was his 10th of the night.
The purple and gold completely owned the quarter, finishing it up by 34 points. They shot 59% from the field.
Williams stole the ball and scored on a layup to start the final frame for the Warriors. Matisse Thybulle responded with a three on the other end.
Santos scored four points for Golden State, trying to help shave some points off the large deficit. With 8:57 left, Golden State emptied more of their bench. LA then emptied their bench with 6:01 left.
Key Player Stats
Luka finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Reaves ended with 23 points and six assists. Kessler scored 26 points with nine rebounds. He is the first Laker since Wilt Chamberlain in 1969 to shoot 100% from the field on at least 12 shot attempts.
Grimes logged 10 points with four assists. LaRavia had 10 points with two assists. Mamu pitched in with five points and four rebounds. Ziaire Williams finished with seven points, four rebounds and two assists.
The Lakers’ next game will be against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday at 7:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
