LOS ANGELES, CA– It was a dismal start to the Los Angeles Lakers season, missing LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Golden State Warriors 119-109, at Crypto.com Arena in this much hyped game that aired on NBC.
NBC had not aired an NBA telecast in over two decades, so the event was hyped. For Laker fans, the anticipation was short lived.
The Warriors held on down the stretch after leading by as many as 17 points. Although the Lakers trimmed the lead to six, at 99-105 prior to the Warriors slamming the door on any thoughts of a comeback.
“Every game is different,” said JJ Redick when asked about how other guys will get involved with Luka.
Luka 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. It was an extremely sloppy game by both teams.
Golden State took over in the third quarter, led by Jonathan Kuminga. 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.
Curry put the game to bed with a deep contested 3-pointer in the final minute for good measure, too.
“We gotta be really discipline,” said Redick, “Luka and AR are being more vocal now.”
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.
Los Angeles plays the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, October 24th.