Los Angeles beat Golden State 127-105 at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in the season opener for both teams.
The sharpest detail came from the new centre: Walker Kessler scored 26 points on 12 of 12 shooting in his Lakers debut, with 10 dunks and not a single miss.
Doncic Runs The First Half, Then Sits The Fourth
Luka Doncic scored 28 points with eight rebounds and seven assists, including 23 points in the first half and a banked shot from near halfcourt at the halftime buzzer. He sat out the fourth quarter, which tells its own story about how decided the game was. Los Angeles outscored Golden State 36-16 in the third quarter and led by as many as 35, turning a competitive first half into a debut night showcase for a rebuilt roster. Austin Reaves added 23 points, giving the Lakers three scorers at 23 or more in their opener.
Doncic saved his strongest praise for Kessler’s debut:
“A+ for sure today. I think he had a great game. We were working on reading different defenses, so what he did today was unbelievable for us.” Luka Doncic, on Walker Kessler’s debut, via ESPN, published by Fadeaway World
The grade is more than a compliment about finishing. Doncic noted the work on reading different defences, which is the partnership this Lakers season will be built on: Doncic probing a defence, Kessler timing his roll, and the defence forced to choose between a dunk and an open shooter. On opening night, Golden State never found an answer that lasted more than a possession or two, and Kessler punished every late rotation at the rim.
Kessler’s Perfect Night Joins Lakers History
Kessler’s 12 makes without a miss were the second most in Lakers history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 14 for 14 in March 1969, per the Associated Press report. He added nine rebounds and two blocks, and scored 10 of his baskets on dunks, a profile that shows how simple his job was made by the attention Doncic drew. Perfect shooting nights at this volume are rare because defences adjust; Golden State adjusted by loading toward Doncic, and Kessler kept arriving at the rim anyway, which is why the historical comparison arrived by the end of the night.
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 23 points, 20 of them in the first half, to begin his 18th season. Golden State was without Brandin Podziemski, out with lower back soreness, and Charles Bassey, out with knee tendinitis. Context matters, but it does not explain a 20 point third quarter gap. It was the Lakers’ first game after LeBron James left as a free agent to join Philadelphia, and Los Angeles opened with nine new players. A 22 point win over Curry’s Warriors is the strongest possible first answer to the question of what this team looks like now.
By The Numbers
- Final score: Los Angeles 127, Golden State 105 at Crypto.com Arena, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026
- Luka Doncic: 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, with 23 points in the first half; he sat out the fourth quarter
- Walker Kessler: 26 points on 12 of 12 shooting, nine rebounds, two blocks and 10 dunks in his Lakers debut
- History: Kessler’s 12 makes without a miss rank second in Lakers history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 14 for 14 in March 1969
- Third quarter: Los Angeles outscored Golden State 36-16 and led by as many as 35 points
- Stephen Curry: 23 points, 20 in the first half, beginning his 18th season; Austin Reaves added 23 for Los Angeles
The Post LeBron Era Opens With A Statement
Opening week around the league has been defined by new eras, from the Celtics debut in Pistons Erase Big Deficit Against Celtics to the Western Conference Finals rematch in Gilgeous-Alexander Scores Thirty Two Against Spurs. Los Angeles had the hardest era change to sell, replacing a departed free agent of LeBron James’ stature with nine new players. The answer on Wednesday was structural, not sentimental: Doncic as the engine, Kessler as the finisher, Reaves as the third scorer, and a third quarter that buried a veteran opponent.
One game does not settle a season, and Golden State was missing two rotation players. But openers set first impressions that shape how a team is defended and discussed, and the Lakers produced the most complete one in the West on Wednesday night. Kessler’s perfect 12 for 12 will be the trivia answer. The larger point is that Doncic already knows where his new centre will be, and defences across the league now have to solve that partnership from day one.
