GOLDEN State Warriors wasted no time making a statement in their 2025 NBA season debut, dismantling the Los Angeles Lakers, 119-109, on Wednesday morning (Manila time) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Jimmy Butler III led the charge for the Warriors with 31 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Stephen Curry added 21 points, including a clutch three-pointer in the final minute that sealed the victory.
Jonathan Kuminga contributed 17 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, while Buddy Hield came off the bench to score another 17 markers for Golden State.
After a tightly contested first half, the Warriors broke the game open in the third quarter behind Butler’s hot shooting to build a 100-84 lead at the early part of the fourth quarter.
The Lakers tried to rally late and trimmed the deficit to 105-112, but a layup by Gary Payton II, followed by a Curry triple and two free throws, put the game away for good.
For Los Angeles, Luka Doncic turned in a monster performance with 43 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists, while Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton chipped in 26 and 10 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points as Oklahoma City Thunder launched their title defense with a thrilling 125-124 double-overtime victory over the Houston Rockets.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA and NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, drew a crucial foul with 2.3 seconds remaining before nailing two free throws to settle an epic duel with a new-look Rockets.
Gilgeous-Alexander was backed by 28 points from Chet Holmgren, while Ajay Mitchell caught the eye with 16 points off the bench including three outside conversions for the Thunder.
Alperen Sengun led the Houston scoring with 39 points including five 3-pointers while Kevin Durant, who joined from the Phoenix Suns in the offseason trade, added 23 points./PN
BOX SCORE
GOLDEN STATE 119 — Butler 31, Curry 23, Kuminga 17, Hield 17, Green 8, Podziemski 7, Payton II 6, Richard 5, Horford 5, Santos 0, Post 0.
LA LAKERS 109 — Doncic 43, Reaves 26, Ayton 10, Hachimura 9, Smart 9, LaRavia 5, Hayes 4, Vincent 3, Vanderbilt 0.
Quarterscores: 28-22; 55-54; 90-79; 119-109.
