NBA: Perfect Kessler leads Lakers past Golden State
Walker Kessler hits all twelve shots on his Lakers debut as Los Angeles beat Golden State 127–105. Dončić scores 28 points.
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Twelve shots, twelve makes: Walker Kessler missed nothing in his first official outing with the Lakers. The centre scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Los Angeles's 127–105 win over Golden State on Wednesday 21 October in the United States, overnight from Wednesday into Thursday in Brazzaville. Luka Dončić, who finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, steered a team that stretched the lead both before and after the break.
Curry keeps the Warriors in touch in the first quarter
Golden State found answers at first. Stephen Curry scored 16 points in the first quarter, which ended with the Warriors trailing by just one point, 34–33. Los Angeles still had to contain an offence capable of keeping up with its pace.
The second quarter changed the game. The Lakers held their visitors to 19 points while scoring 32. Dončić ended the first half with 23 points and one last spectacular flourish: a long-range bank shot at the buzzer. At the break, Los Angeles led 66–52. The Warriors had lost the contact they had maintained over the first twelve minutes.
A one-sided third quarter
The Lakers carried their momentum straight out of the locker room. A 21–7 run pushed Golden State further back, and the visitors scored just 16 points in the whole third quarter. Los Angeles added 36 to reach the last break 34 points ahead, 102–68.
That huge cushion allowed the Lakers to finish without asking Dončić for one last push in the fourth quarter. Golden State won the final period 37–25, but the gap built up earlier was too big to bring any suspense back. The final score, 127–105, mostly reflects the hosts' dominance in the second and third quarters.
Kessler efficient, Reaves completes the trio
Kessler converted all twelve of his two-point attempts. His 26 points gave the Lakers a productive presence near the rim, complementing Dončić's creativity. Austin Reaves added 23 points, four rebounds and six assists, going ten from ten at the free-throw line. The three men therefore supplied 77 of their team's 127 points.
At the other end, Curry finished with 23 points on seven-of-15 shooting, including two of seven from three-point range. His fast start had carried Golden State, but the Warriors could not sustain the same output over the next two quarters. Yaxel Lendeborg and Gui Santos scored twelve points each.
Los Angeles thus opens its regular season with a clear win, built around a centre who never wasted a shot and a well-balanced scoring trio. For Golden State, the two middle quarters, lost 68–35 in total, were the main gap on this opening night.
Find the score and statistics on the SNA match page.
The game in the official NBA night highlights
The Golden State–Lakers sequence starts at 7:03 in the NBA player below.