The Lakers were not whole for their season opener and that meant Luka Doncic had a heavier load to carry while LeBron James sat on the bench injured in this game against rivals Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
So, the question while James recovers from sciatica injury on his right side, is who will fill his void and help Doncic navigate the stretch his running mate is out.
The Lakers didn’t get that complete answer Tuesday night, falling 119-109 to the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena despite Doncic’s impressive performance of a near triple-double with 43 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Austin Reaves showed he was up to the task with 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
But the Warriors had four players score in double figures and that was a big difference in the game. Jimmy Butler led the Warriors with 31 points and Stephen Curry scored 23.
The Lakers fell into a hole in the third quarter, going down by 17 points, putting them in catch-up mode. When they got down by 15 in the fourth, they had to really work.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves gets past Warriors guard Gary Payton II for a layup during the second half Friday night.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
They did, going on a 9-0 run to pull to within 105-99, forcing Warriors coach Steve Kerr to call a timeout with 3:59 left.
But whenCurry drilled a long-distance three-pointer with 51.4 seconds left for a 10-point Warriors lead, the Lakers knew then that much more work has to be done.
James is entering an NBA-record 23rd season, but it was the first time over his career that he has missed a season opener.
He sat on the end of the Lakers’ bench dressed in a double-breasted suit, cheering his teammates on, offering words of encouragement when necessary, knowing that was the only way he could help until he returns to the court in mid-November.
“Oftentimes when you are playing without one of your best guys, it’s not necessarily right at the beginning of the season,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “He hasn’t practiced with the team yet, [so] our group is comfortable with what the group is right now. And we need all guys to star in their roles. I don’t think that changes if LeBron is in the lineup or if he’s out of the lineup. We need our guys to star in their roles.”
By the half, Reaves had done his part, scoring 12 points.
The Lakers stayed close at the half, trailing the Warriors 55-54.
But the Warriors took off early in the third quarter, opening a 78-61 lead.
It didn’t help that Reaves picked up his fifth foul with 2 minutes and 23 seconds left in the third.
But the Lakers fought back and got to within 90-79 entering the fourth.
Etc.
The Lakers picked up the rookie option on Dalton Knecht for $4.2 million for the 2026-27 season, according to people not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. … The Lakers said that forward/center Maxi Kleber has an oblique strain and will be reevaluated in two to three weeks.
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