For a quarter and a half, the Warriors stayed in the scene: the night had ten lead changes and ten ties, and Golden State's best lead was three. Then the Lakers closed the second quarter on a 9-0 run, opened the third with an 8-0 burst and stretched the margin to 35 before the reserves finished a 127-105 win.
Where It Broke
The first real swing went to Golden State, an 8-0 run that forced JJ Redick to call timeout trailing 13-10 midway through the first. The answer came late in the half. Up 49-48 with 3:21 left, the Lakers ran off nine straight to lead 58-48 and went to the locker room ahead 66-52. Out of the break, an 8-0 burst made it 76-54, and Golden State used three timeouts in the first eight minutes of the third without slowing it down. The Lakers won the quarter 36-16 and led 102-68 going into the fourth. The Warriors took the last period 37-25 against a closing group of Bronny James, Chris Manon, Jaden Hardy, Kevon Looney and Ziaire Williams. Stephen Curry had 23 in 21 minutes and finished at -22.
Grading the Leads
Doncic, A-minus: 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals, 5-for-12 from deep, perfect at the line and a game-best +31. The six turnovers and 7-for-18 shooting keep it short of perfect. Walker Kessler, A-plus: 26 points and nine boards without a miss in 12 attempts, plus two blocks and a +24. Austin Reaves, A: 23 points on 11 shots, 10-for-10 at the line, six assists and a +25. Quentin Grimes made the case for the bench with 10 points, four assists, no turnovers and a +20, and Jake LaRavia hit 4 of 5. Looney was the only Laker with a negative mark, -7 in 15 minutes. The starters scored 89 of the 127.
The Next Reel
One night in, the Lakers are 1-0 and fourth in the West, and the next stretch runs straight through Los Angeles rivals and familiar opponents. The Clippers come to Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 23 at 1-0 under Tyronn Lue, with Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal and Max Strus all listed out. Collin Sexton, Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero are day-to-day with estimated returns that same day. After that come Utah on the road, Portland at home, a second Clippers game on Oct. 28, and a return trip to Golden State on Oct. 30. That last one has an edge now: ESPN's Anthony Slater reported that Yaxel Lendeborg said he had "lost all respect" for Doncic. Lendeborg shot 5-for-11 at -21.
Who led the Lakers in the 127-105 win over the Warriors?
Luka Doncic led with 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and a +31. Walker Kessler added 26 on 12-for-12 shooting, and Austin Reaves scored 23.
Will Collin Sexton play against the Clippers?
Sexton is listed day-to-day with a right calf issue and an estimated return of Oct. 23, the day of the Clippers game. Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero have the same status and the same estimated return.
