LOS ANGELES — With LeBron James watching from the bench, the Los Angeles Lakers tried, but simply did not have enough to delight the home fans with a season-opening win over the Golden State Warriors on opening night.
On a night when the Warriors, Los Angeles’ biggest rivals over the last decade, got contributions from role players like Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield, the Lakers failed to generate enough offense from players not named Luka Dončić.
So, in the end, the Lakers dropped their season opener, 119-109, and now face a tough stretch ahead, as James nurses a sciatica issue that will sideline him for at least another week-and-a-half.
Dončić finished one assist shy of a triple-double, pouring in a game high 43 points on 17-of-27 shooting, and adding 12 rebounds and 9 assissts. Guard Austin Reaves added 26 points, and center Deandre Ayton scored 10, but no other Laker reached double figures.
The Lakers struggled from deep, hitting just 8-of-32 (25%) shots from beyond the arc and committed 20 turnovers, limiting their offensive output.
