The Los Angeles Lakers opened their 2025–26 NBA campaign with a disappointing 109–119 home loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. Playing without LeBron James, the Lakers relied heavily on Luka Doncic, who delivered a strong performance with 43 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in 41 minutes of play. Austin Reaves also impressed, contributing 26 points, nine assists and five rebounds, but their combined effort wasn’t enough.
The Warriors took advantage of key lapses, led by Jimmy Butler’s 31 points, Stephen Curry’s 23, and Jonathan Kuminga’s 17. Despite a late push from Los Angeles, Golden State’s composure down the stretch proved decisive, spoiling the Lakers’ opening night at Crypto.com Arena.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77)
The Lakers’ struggles were most evident in the third quarter, where they were outscored 35–25 and saw the Warriors seize control.
After the game, head coach JJ Redick voiced his frustration with the team’s recurring mid-game collapses and hinted at upcoming adjustments.
“The trend I see is that we continue to be a terrible 3rd quarter team to start,” Redick said. “We gotta rethink some things. It’s a two-way thing with the guys. What do they need at halftime to make sure they’re ready to play? They are not ready to play to start the third quarter.”
The Lakers finished the first half trailing 55-54. However, a sluggish performance in the third quarter stretched the Warriors’ lead to 11 points. Although Los Angeles managed to rally with a 9-0 fourth-quarter run that cut the lead to six with 3:59 left, they couldn’t sustain it. Butler hit clutch shots late, and Curry sealed the win with a dagger three-pointer with 51 seconds remaining.
Despite the loss, Doncic had a historic night to kick off his first full season with the Lakers. The Slovenian superstar became the first player in NBA history to open a season with a 40-point double-double in a double-digit loss — and the first Laker since the late Kobe Bryant in 2007 to score 40-plus in a season opener.
The Lakers will look to bounce back when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday at 10 p.m. ET.
