NBA: Warriors clinch big opening night win on Lakers' home turf
Los Angeles, California - The Golden State Warriors got a big road win to cap off the opening night of the 2021-22 NBA regular season, outplaying the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers on their home court.
The Warriors beat the Lakers 121-114 on the opening night of the new regular season, overpowering a Lakers team that at least on paper is expected to contend for the NBA crown.
Despite allowing two 30-plus point scorers in LeBron James (36) and Anthony Davis, the two holdovers from LA’s 2020 title team, the Warriors defense managed to contain new additions Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony for the win.
While the defense was on-point, Golden State utilized a balanced offensive attack, including three players off the bench who scored in double figures.
The Lakers did actually have the advantage on the scoreboard through the first three quarters, but the Warriors tightened things up in the fourth and outscored LA to pull away with the win.
The player spotlight
Golden State’s shooting superstar Steph Curry led his team to victory with a rare triple-double performance.
It was his first triple-double since 2016 and the eighth of his 12-year career.
Despite it not being his best game on the stat sheet, where Curry lacked in shooting, he made up for it on the boards and in distributing the ball to his teammates.
He shot 5-for-21 but did have 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in the game.
The big picture
Yes, the Lakers, with a healthy LeBron, Davis, Anthony, and Westbrook, just lost a game.
And yes, it’s likely they’ll lose more.
But it’s the first game of the season, and they’ve got 81 more games to play for their nine new players to buy into the program. Rest assured, they won’t stand to lose much more as the season progresses.
On Thursday, the Warriors will have their home opener against the Clippers while the Lakers host the Suns on Friday night.
Cover photo: IMAGO/Image byran