The Golden State Warriors looked pretty good for the first 20 minutes of their season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers. Then, it all fell apart. After Will Richard’s dunk pulled the Warriors within a single point at 49-48, the Lakers unleashed a brutal 17-4 run to close out the second quarter. That surge featured rookie Yaxel Lendeborg racking up two personal fouls and a technical, Walker Kessler throwing down a couple of his ten dunks on the night, and Luka Doncic capping it all off with a half-court buzzer-beater, apparently fueled by Lendeborg’s trash talk. Yeah, you heard that right, a half-court bomb to end the half.
The Lakers Put the Warriors to Sleep Early
The wheels absolutely flew off after that second-quarter collapse. The Warriors’ offense went silent, and their defense turned into a revolving door. The Lakers hit 100 points with 28 seconds left in the third quarter, invoking “Lawler’s Law,” and by three minutes into the final quarter, Steve Kerr had thrown in the towel and was clearing his bench. It ended 127-105, and trust me, the score doesn’t even tell the full story of how one-sided this beatdown was. Bronny James even got seven whole minutes of garbage time, scoring two points, which tells you everything you need to know about the Warriors’ night. It was a tough, tough welcome to the NBA for Golden State’s No. 11 overall pick.
Warriors’ Key Players Vanish After Hot Starts
Part of the unraveling started when Draymond Green picked up his third foul early in the second quarter and had to sit. He ended his 21 minutes with two points, eight assists, and four turnovers. Not exactly a veteran presence. Steph Curry came out blazing hot, dropping 16 points in the first quarter on 7-for-9 shooting, including two threes in just under eight minutes. But then, poof, he missed all four of his second-quarter shots, though he did grab two steals and made all four of his foul shots. His night ended early too, finishing with 23 points in 21 minutes. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, despite the early foul trouble and technical, managed 12 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in his debut. The Warriors, already down five players, simply couldn’t get it together.
Kessler’s Historic Night Validates Doncic’s Push
The real story, though, was Walker Kessler. He put on an absolute clinic, going a perfect 12-for-12 from the field, snagging nine rebounds, and blocking two shots. His ten dunks were the most by any Laker since Shaquille O’Neal. A perfect shooting night with at least 12 attempts? You have to go all the way back to Wilt Chamberlain in 1969 for that. Luka Doncic, who finished with a monster 28 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists (along with six turnovers), clearly looked like a genius after pushing hard to get Kessler this past summer. The combination of Draymond Green and Al Horford did next to nothing to contain Kessler, and the Warriors’ defensive effort, frankly, was nowhere near what you expect from a team with championship aspirations.
This brutal season opener just showed how much work the Warriors have ahead, especially on defense. For the Lakers, it’s a huge statement game. Doncic and Kessler look like an absolute force, and the rest of the league needs to take notice.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Golden State of Mind.
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