Golden State Warriors (119-109 Warriors win) from the opening night of the 2025-26 NBA season:
Key Game Info
- Date: Opening night of the 2025-26 season. nbc sports bayarea.com+3NBA+3Silver Screen and Roll+3
- Final Score: Warriors 119, Lakers 109. Silver Screen and Roll+2Golden State Of Mind+2
- The Lakers were missing LeBron James due to injury. NBA
- The matchup is part of the long rivalry between these franchises. Wikipedia+2Golden State Of Mind+2
Standout Performers & Observations
Lakers
Luka Dončić
6
- Luka absolutely starred: 43 points on 17-of-27 shooting, along with 12 rebounds and 9 assists. Silver Screen and Roll+2Silver Screen and Roll+2
- Despite his tremendous performance, the team couldn’t get over the hump. The blog commentary noted: “The beauty and frustration … Luka Dončić excluded. The new face of the Lakers could hardly have been better while his teammates could largely have hardly looked worse.” Silver Screen and Roll+1
- Key takeaway: When a player posts those kind of numbers and the team still loses, it’s an indication that supporting cast and/or team execution were lacking.
Austin Reaves
6
- Reaves ended with 26 points and 9 assists. Silver Screen and Roll
- The grade from one blog: While the stats look solid, his overall impact was judged to be below expectation — “D+” in that analysis. Silver Screen and Roll
- The commentary emphasised: “If Reaves wants superstar money next summer, he needs to play like a superstar before the team is down by double-digits …” Silver Screen and Roll
Team Notes
- The Lakers shot very poorly in certain areas: they were 8-of-31 from three-point range and turned the ball over 19 times. Silver Screen and Roll+1
- After being competitive early, they were blown out in the third quarter — an 18-4 run by Golden State in the period. They attempted a rally in the fourth but couldn’t close the gap fully. Golden State Of Mind+1
Warriors
Jimmy Butler
6
- Butler led the Warriors with 31 points on 7-of-14 shooting, and an incredible 16 free-throw attempts (all made). ESPN.com+1
- His veteran presence was singled out: “Butler controlled the game’s pace … the Warriors were a plus-20 in his minutes.” ESPN.com+1
- This game showed how the Warriors are leveraging his skill set to complement their core.
Stephen Curry
6
- Curry added 23 points (or 24 based on some reports) in the win. nbcsportsbayarea.com+1
- His outside shooting and ability to make impact plays late in the game helped seal the win.
Jonathan Kuminga
6
- Kuminga contributed 17 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists — a very strong all-around showing. nbcsportsbayarea.com+1
- He was instrumental in the third quarter when the Warriors took control: “eight points in the blink of an eye” to open the quarter on a big run. Golden State Of Mind
Team Notes
- The Warriors opened the third quarter with an 18-4 run that effectively created separation. Golden State Of Mind+1
- They forced numerous turnovers early, turned defense into transition, and made enough plays to hold off the Lakers’ comeback attempt.
Warriors outpace Lakers with third-quarter flurry
Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler lead Warriors past Lakers on opening night: Reaction and analysis Luka Dončić scored 43 points but Los Angeles couldn’t overcome the absence of the injured LeBron James Warriors beat Lakers on opening night
The Golden State Warriors have opened the 2025-26 NBA season with a 119-109 win on the road over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jimmy Butler led the Warriors with 31 points, 16 of which came from a perfect free-throw shooting performance, while Steph Curry added 23 points.
Luka Dončić carried the Lakers with 43 points on 17-of-27 shooting, but got precious little help from his teammates in the loss. Los Angeles was without LeBron James, who missed a season opener for the first time in his NBA career due to sciatica.
This week’s live coverage schedule at The Athletic
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The Warriors, following their win tonight, have their home opener on Thursday against the Denver Nuggets. Stephen Curry versus Nikola Jokic is always must watch.
Then Golden State returns to the court Friday night, traveling to Portland to face the Trail Blazers. he Los Angeles Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday in a rematch of their playoff series last season. The Timberwolves beat the Lakers in five games.
On Sunday, the Lakers travel to Sacaremnto to face the Kings with tipoff at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Michael Charles Live Reporter
Free throws and 3s sink Lakers
How did the Lakers lose this game?
These two statistical areas were a major part of the equation: 3-point shooting and free throws.
Los Angeles got to the line 28 times but missed 11 free throws. Conversely, Golden State got to the line 29 times and missed just three attempts. To make matters worse, the Lakers shot just 8-for-32 from deep while the Warriors shot 17-of-40.
More warning signs for Lakers supporting cast
A bright spot for the Lakers today was that Marcus Smart, specifically acquired for his defense, was the one Laker on the positive end of the plus-minus today at +2.
A not-so-bright spot is that the Laker with the worst plus-minus, Austin Reaves (-14), was also the only Lakers player outside of Luka Dončić to consistently contribute on offense. Reaves had 26 points, five rebounds and nine assists tonight. That rebound total was only one fewer than starting center DeAndre Ayton, who was making his Lakers debut.