The Los Angeles Lakers welcomed the Golden State Warriors in the second night of season openers for the 2026-2027 campaign. This marks the first time that Los Angeles plays a regular-season game without LeBron James rostered in eight years. With a changing of the guard, Luka Dončić now holds the reins to a Laker team that remains hopeful to take advantage of the Slovenian’s prime. On the other side, Stephen Curry enters his 18th season as his team’s undisputed leader. Much talk has gone around the Bay about a systemic change implemented by head coach Steve Kerr, who drew heavy criticism for not supporting his players enough last year.
A high-scoring first quarter saw Los Angeles exploiting the Warriors’ defense through pick-and-rolls, with Dončić constantly finding Walker Kessler around the rim. Through the game’s first six minutes, the Lakers started five-for-five from inside the arc but failed to score from beyond. In return, Golden State punished an aggressive Los Angeles defense with backdoor cuts, as Draymond Green recorded four first-quarter assists. The main beneficiary of those feeds was, of course, the two-time MVP. Curry started this contest scoring on seven of his first nine field goal attempts, leading the Warriors with 16 points but his team trailing by just one, 34-33.
The second quarter was highlighted by a fierce battle between Dončić and Warriors rookie Yaxel Lenderborg. Kerr has trusted the 24-year-old forward with much responsibility for his first game as a pro, part of which was following the superstar guard defensively. With just 22 seconds left in the half, Lenderborg played smothering defense, forcing the six-time all-star to a low-percentage three and not afraid to let Dončić hear about it afterwards. In doing so, the 24-year-old picked up a technical foul, with his counterpart laughing at that reaction. As if this duel wasn’t already lopsided, the six-time all-star rainbowed in a buzzer-beating three-pointer to put his squad up 66-52 at half.
The second frame began with more Dončić and Kessler magic in LA. The two-man show continued, with the six-time all-star either finding his 25-year-old big man by drawing doubles, or following a defensive shift towards himself. After a stellar first 12 minutes, Curry scored just three free throws to follow his no-point second quarter. Golden State’s lack of defensive intensity, coupled with countless turnovers that they had mostly avoided until this point, signaled the beginning of the end. A timeout at the five-minute mark stopped a 26-9 run from the 2020 Champions, which essentially put the game to rest. With a 36-16 quarter and pedal to the metal, the Lakers did not look back.
The two coaches emptied their benches for the fourth, resting their top performers until the final whistle saw the hosts win 127-105. For the Lakers, Dončić finished with an all-around outing that consisted of 28 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Kessler’s contribution can’t go unnoticed, as the former Grizzlies first-rounder put up 26 points on a perfect 12-for-12 shooting, while Austin Reaves also added a quiet 23 points. For Golden State, Curry was one of four Warriors to cross double-digit scoring with 23. Brandon Williams impressed as the only bench player to offer some non-starting impact, with 14 points resulting from his heavy usage as part of the second unit. Kerr’s group will have a quick turnaround and look to polish up the cracks in their armor in their home opener Friday night against Memphis. Meanwhile, Los Angeles will look to build on a positive season debut in an intra-city clash against the Clippers Friday night as well.
