The Los Angeles Lakers opened the 2026-27 NBA season with a 127-105 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. The game was close through the first quarter, which ended 34-33, before the Lakers pulled away in the second and third quarters, according to the official game summary.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with a game-high 28 points in just 30 minutes, adding eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Austin Reaves finished with 23 points on 6-for-11 shooting with six assists and four rebounds. Sports Illustrated noted that the pair combined for 10 turnovers, something the Lakers will want to clean up.
Walker Kessler made a striking Lakers debut, scoring 26 points with nine rebounds and two blocks while shooting a perfect 12-for-12 from the field. Doncic also connected on a dramatic half-court buzzer-beater and was involved in a second-quarter exchange with Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg that drew a technical foul on the rookie.
The Warriors faded badly after the break, scoring only 19 points in the second quarter and 16 in the third as the Lakers built a lead they never gave back. Golden State scored 37 in the final quarter with the outcome decided.
Both teams start the season in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The Lakers move to 1-0 while the Warriors fall to 0-1, and the Lakers look like a confident new-look squad as the post-LeBron James era gets underway in Los Angeles.