The secret behind how the Warriors managed to stop Luka Doncic and the Lakers

Sometimes it helps to take a step back and get the right perspective to see how much things can change. A year ago, the Lakers also played on opening night, but the context couldn’t have been more different. The story then was the novelty of seeing father and son — the James duo — sharing the court. Davis was the decisive factor that night. The opponent was the Minnesota Timberwolves, the same team that would eliminate them in the first round just a few months later. It feels like forever ago — not a year, but a century. LeBron, now stripped of his all-powerful leader role, didn’t even play in this season’s opener against the Warriors due to a bout of sciatica. Davis, meanwhile, is now with the Dallas Mavericks — the team that traded Luka Dončić to Los Angeles, where he’s quickly become their new superstar. That’s just the quick version. And in a results-driven world, even the winner of this year’s opening game changed.

Steve Kerr and his ever-consistent Golden State Warriors left Crypto Arena with the first win of the season — hard-fought and resilient, surviving the second-half push from Dončić and his squad. The final score: 109–119. A satisfying appetizer for Warriors fans ahead of another campaign in which their team will once again compete for the top spots in the Western Conference. Jimmy Butler led all scorers with 31 points, 16 of them coming from a perfect night at the free-throw line (16-for-16). Curry chipped in 23, right on brand. And Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga each added 17 — a promising sign for Golden State’s season if they can consistently contribute at that level.

The Lakers, on the other hand, looked disjointed — more reactive than structured. Dončić was well-defended at times, and his teammates didn’t make life any easier for him. For a playmaker of his caliber, the lack of spacing and movement was glaring. The Warriors, in contrast, showed no such stagnation. Even with their key players well into their 30s, they handled the early-season rhythm with ease.

Dončić’s night was a mix of brilliance and frustration. Statistically, he wasted no time making an MVP statement: 43 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists — a near triple-double. But missing 8 of his 10 three-pointers slightly dragged down his efficiency. At halftime, he was shooting 7-for-13; by the end, 17-for-27. There were brief flashes of chemistry with Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes — the latter being groomed as Slovenia’s future starting center — but the defensive effort, both personal and collective, left much to be desired. Austin Reaves, whose future with the team remains uncertain due to salary and fit issues, contributed offensively with 26 points. Still, the Lakers will need far more from the supporting cast.

The Lakers clearly have plenty of work to do. Golden State, by contrast, looked polished in their half-court sets — not quite the mesmerizing ball movement of their prime years, but disciplined, efficient, and never forcing bad shots. Every time the Lakers threatened to close the gap, the Warriors had an answer. Some predictions already have them as potential Finals contenders — maybe premature, maybe bold — but they’re undoubtedly a dangerous team.

The opening game also brought early flashes of intensity — and friction — as enforcers Draymond Green and Jarred Vanderbilt made their presence felt. Green returned to playing as a small-ball center, a tactic no longer revolutionary but still effective. Kerr’s lineup featuring Kuminga and Butler worked from the start, settling a point of tension that had lingered with the Congolese forward. Once Hield and Al Horford checked in, the Warriors spread the floor and opened up a solid lead. At 39, and signed just before the season began, Horford remains a valuable asset wherever he plays. When Marcus Smart entered the game and tightened the defense, the Lakers briefly cut into the margin — exactly what they brought him in for. A late first-half flurry — two threes from Hachimura and one from Dončić — brought the Lakers within one at the break, 54–55.

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But Kuminga responded in the third quarter, hitting three signature threes to restore a double-digit lead that stabilized for most of the half. The Lakers made two serious runs, including a 9–0 stretch, but Curry ended one of them the only way he knows how — with a deep, off-balance three from near half-court, Vincent’s hand in his face, just before the shot clock expired. Some habits never fade. And that’s exactly what the Warriors aspire to this season: to be themselves again.

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Los Angeles Lakers

Stats

28 Rui Hachimura
15 Austin Reaves
5 Deandre Ayton
77 Luka Dončić
7 Gabe Vincent
11 Jaxson Hayes
9 Bronny James Jr.
4 Dalton Knecht
10 Christian Koloko
12 Jake LaRavia
36 Marcus Smart
2 Jarred Vanderbilt
30 Chris Mañon
3 Nick Smith Jr.

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
28 Rui Hachimura	35	9	4	0	4	3	1	0	0	0/0	0/0	3/6	0	2	0
15 Austin Reaves	36	26	5	1	4	9	5	2	0	7/10	8/11	1/5	0	5	0
5 Deandre Ayton	33	10	6	2	4	0	4	0	1	0/2	5/7	0/0	0	3	0
77 Luka Dončić	40	43	12	0	12	9	3	2	1	7/10	15/17	2/10	0	1	0
7 Gabe Vincent	28	3	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0/0	0/0	1/4	0	3	0
11 Jaxson Hayes	14	4	6	2	4	1	1	0	0	0/0	2/3	0/0	0	2	0
9 Bronny James Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
4 Dalton Knecht	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
10 Christian Koloko	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
12 Jake LaRavia	15	5	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	0/2	1/2	1/2	0	1	0
36 Marcus Smart	22	9	0	0	0	0	3	1	0	3/4	3/3	0/3	0	4	0
2 Jarred Vanderbilt	11	0	3	0	3	0	2	1	0	0/0	0/2	0/2	0	0	0
30 Chris Mañon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
3 Nick Smith Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0

Golden State Warriors

Stats

10 Jimmy Butler III
1 Jonathan Kuminga
23 Draymond Green
30 Stephen Curry
2 Brandin Podziemski
7 Buddy Hield
20 Al Horford
32 Trayce Jackson-Davis
0 Gary Payton II
21 Quinten Post
3 Will Richard
15 Gui Santos
61 Pat Spencer
44 Jackson Rowe

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
10 Jimmy Butler III	34	31	5	2	3	4	1	1	0	16/16	6/12	1/2	0	4	0
1 Jonathan Kuminga	32	17	9	3	6	6	2	1	0	1/2	2/5	4/6	0	3	0
23 Draymond Green	28	8	7	1	6	9	4	1	2	1/3	2/3	1/3	0	5	0
30 Stephen Curry	32	23	1	0	1	4	2	3	1	8/8	3/5	3/9	0	3	0
2 Brandin Podziemski	32	7	7	1	6	2	1	1	0	0/0	2/3	1/4	0	2	0
7 Buddy Hield	22	17	1	0	1	0	2	1	0	0/0	1/1	5/10	0	0	0
20 Al Horford	20	5	5	0	5	1	2	0	0	0/0	1/3	1/4	0	4	0
32 Trayce Jackson-Davis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
0 Gary Payton II	12	6	2	1	1	1	3	1	1	0/0	3/5	0/1	0	3	0
21 Quinten Post	8	0	2	0	2	1	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	1	0
3 Will Richard	13	5	1	1	0	1	0	1	0	0/0	1/1	1/1	0	2	0
15 Gui Santos	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
61 Pat Spencer	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
44 Jackson Rowe	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0