The Warriors defeat the Lakers despite a 43-point, 12-rebound performance from Luka Dončić.
LOS ANGELES — A new season, a new network, and a double-overtime thriller that, in the first of 1,230 games to be played in the 2025-26 regular season, set the bar high for all that will follow. All in all, it made for a great night of viewing for NBA fans.
Why, even good ol’ LeBron James got to sit and watch his favorite team, alongside his son, Bronny. It was James’ first chance to merely spectate in 23 years – his previous 22 were kind of spoken for.
Unfortunately for LeBron, he was at the nightcap of Tuesday’s twin-bill, with an outcome – Golden State 119, L.A. Lakers 109 – not nearly as entertaining as that OKC-Houston tussle. Or for him and his Lakers, very satisfying at all.
Here are four takeaways from a game that demonstrated there is still life left in those old Warrior bones:
1. Respect these elders
While the rest of the Western Conference seemed to get more formidable from last season to this, the Golden State Warriors just kept on getting older. As if Steph Curry (37), Jimmy Butler (36), and Draymond Green (35) weren’t veteran enough, the front office added 39-year-old Al Horford shortly before training camp. That made them the only team in the league built around a core four all born before the Clinton Administration.
Age that still can play becomes experienced, not old, and the Warriors flexed that experience in spoiling the Lakers’ opener at Crypto.com Arena. As usual, Green was the defensive anchor, especially in the first half. Curry stayed in motion the entire 32 minutes he was on the floor, covering more ground than a Roomba and moving 10 times as fast.
Then there was Butler, whose old-man game has ripened like one of Gregg Popovich’s favorite vintages. With his methodical, clock-milking ability to stress defenses and wear a path to the foul line, mixing the headstrong forward’s personal pace within Golden State’s higher-energy style is like dropping Justin Steele into a staff with Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes: A devastating one-man change-up.
Butler scored a team-high 31 points, made all 16 of his free throws, and settled things down late when the Warriors’ lead – as big as 17 midway through the third quarter – dwindled to six. His grinding game, drawing fouls, helps coach Steve Kerr’s team set up its defense, too, when it’s needed most.
His reputation as a regular-season dilettante who fussed his way out of Miami was earned. But he was invaluable for Golden State once they acquired him last February. Together, he, Curry and Green went 22-5 down the stretch.
“A good vibe in the locker room,” Kerr said. “Jimmy brings a new level of confidence. [Curry and Green] know they have a guy now who can carry the team.”
2. From LeBron to Luka, the baton is passing
James’ current case of sciatica appears to have accelerated what we all knew would happen: Luka Dončić’s arrival in the stunning trade with Dallas put the Lakers in a position to hit the reset button around a new franchise cornerstone player as James slowly aged out of that role. James’ absence on Tuesday highlighted the baton handoff.
Dončić was the Laker introduced last before tipoff. He was the one who carried in the opener, scoring 43 with 12 rebounds and nine assists, building some connections with teammates (Austin Reeves, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent) who previously fit their games around James.
James was there, sitting on a tall chair at the end of L.A.’s bench. But dressed in black with stylish eyeglasses, lingering outside every Laker huddle, he didn’t seem fully present.
Oh, James will play again and probably rank again – at age 40 – as one of the league’s top 15 performers. But just as the Lakers shifted 40-plus years ago from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s team to Magic Johnson’s, so will the current crew soon coalesce around the fellow from Slovenia, not Akron, Ohio.
3. Not yet centers of attention
Horford was a notable get for the Warriors, reputedly giving them the “stretch 5” option so lacking through their dynastic run (four titles, six Finals appearances) over the past decade. In L.A., DeAndre Ayton was touted as something bigger than that, the former No. 1 draft pick signing in July after five seasons in Phoenix and two in Portland.
Both produced modestly in the opener. Horford, whose minutes will be watched assiduously by Kerr, came off the bench for five points with five rebounds, hitting just one of his four 3-pointers and finishing with a team-low minus-10 rating. Ayton tallied 10 points and six boards for the Lakers, getting up only seven shots (his career average had been 12.4).
Not that there was anything wrong with either. They’re just early on their learning curves.
4. Kuminga seems to get it now
One of the reasons Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency fell short of his expectations this summer was a lack of maturity in his game. He struggled often to play to the Warriors’ rhythm and pitch, forcing his athleticism on them in counterproductive ways. The compromise contract he ended up signing – two years, $46 million – left open the possibility of hard feelings for the 23-year-old.
But Kuminga contributed heavily to the victory Tuesday, starting and scoring 17 points with nine boards and six assists. Best of all, after making only one basket while hoisting a few ill-advised shots in the first half, he corrected his course. He hit all five attempts after halftime to blend better with the offense, and he snagged Butler’s missed 3-pointer with less than a minute left to set up Curry’s 36-foot night-night clincher.
“He’s had a great camp,” Kerr said of Kuminga. “We’ve had some really good conversations. He has a better understanding of the league. … I think he has a better sense of what’s needed now.”
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
