The Los Angeles Lakers took the court at Crypto.com Arena to start their 2026-27 regular-season schedule by taking on the Golden State Warriors. As Luka Doncic made clear in an ad he took out in the Los Angeles Times, he wanted this game to be the start of a run toward the NBA championship, no matter what people around the league think of the Lakers' prospects this season.
Their first game this season was a definite success. The first quarter was competitive and ended with L.A. on top 34-33, but it started to take charge in the second quarter. It led 66-52 at halftime, and by outscoring the Warriors 36-16 in the third quarter, it put things out of reach, allowing it to come away with a 127-105 victory.
The Lakers shot 56.8% from the field, and as they often did during the preseason, they shared the ball well and looked to make the extra pass. Unlike in the last few seasons, they looked to push the pace and pitch the ball ahead in transition. They led 15-4 in fast-break points at halftime and ended up with a 21-17 advantage overall in that category.
Defensively, they held Golden State to 41.3% field-goal shooting and 22.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Stephen Curry had 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the first quarter, but he did not make another basket the rest of the way.
The Lakers' next game will be against the crestfallen Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
Matisse Thybulle -- C
Thybulle was in the Lakers' starting lineup for this game, even though most people likely expected him to come off the bench. While he shot just 1-of-4 from the field and only had three points in 23 minutes, his defense on the perimeter was helpful. He had one steal and one block, and he should help the Lakers apply more pressure on the perimeter, which has been a big point of emphasis for them in their revamped defense.
Ziaire Williams -- B-plus
Some did expect Williams to win a starting job, and sure enough, he was in the Lakers' starting lineup on Wednesday. He made four of his seven shot attempts and one of his two 3-point attempts, giving him nine points, and he did a good job of running the floor in transition.
On the other end of the floor, Williams came up with one steal. He also added three rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes.
Walker Kessler -- A
The most consequential of the nine new members of the Lakers' roster, Kessler had about as outstanding a debut with them as a center could've. He made all 12 of his shot attempts, and he did an admirable job of hustling downcourt during transition opportunities as the trailer. When the Lakers didn't have anything in transition, he positioned himself to get open near the hoop, and his teammates rewarded him by getting him the ball.
Kessler also grabbed nine rebounds, and he blocked two shots in 30 minutes. His impact was felt otherwise, as he deterred Warriors players from penetrating toward the rim and forced them to bring the ball out instead. He didn't even commit a single foul until the 7:25 mark of the fourth quarter.
Overall, Kessler scored 26 points. One has to figure that not allowing him to get the easy baskets he feasted on in this game will be on the scouting report for other teams very soon. But he could still see a bit of a bump in his scoring average now that he's playing with two excellent table-setters.
Austin Reaves -- A-minus
Reaves looked very solid in this game. Somewhat quietly, he scored 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting while making all 10 of his free throw attempts, and he also turned in six assists, four rebounds, two steals and one block in 32 minutes. He did a good job of attacking downhill and not settling too much for contested outside jumpers.
Luka Doncic -- B-minus
This is now unquestionably Doncic's team, and he made that clear before the game by taking out that Los Angeles Times ad, as well as during the game.
He scored 23 points on 6-of-12 overall shooting and 4-of-8 from 3-point land in the first half, and he had fun doing so. Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg was assigned to guard Doncic, and Doncic directed lots of trash talk at the University of Michigan product.
Just before the halftime horn, Doncic banked in a shot from just beyond halfcourt. He then pointed at Lendeborg and delivered some more trash talk.
LUKA DONCIC NO WAY. 🔥🔥🔥
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 22, 2026
Has words for Yaxel after. pic.twitter.com/PzGuvHasUx
He coasted in the second half and finished with 28 points on 7-of-18 overall shooting, 5-of-12 from downtown and 9-of-9 from the foul line, plus eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals. He made multiple lead passes on the past break to open teammates that were right on the money, not to mention a thing of beauty.
In a continuation of a sizable problem for the Lakers during the preseason, Doncic committed six turnovers, but it didn't matter much on this night.
The Slovenian superstar played just under 30 minutes in this game due to its lopsided nature. The hope is that L.A. will have more blowout victories this season so that it can keep Doncic's workload, and therefore his injury risk, lower.
Quentin Grimes -- B
Grimes came off the bench and played 27 minutes. He scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting while missing both of his 3-point attempts, and he also had four assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block.
The Lakers will need more scoring from him overall as the season unfolds, as well as accurate 3-point shooting. But it appears he's willing to help them step up their defensive pressure on the perimeter.
Sandro Mamukelashvili -- C
After playing very well in the preseason, Mamukelashvili was quiet on Wednesday. He took just five shots, making two of them, and finished with five points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 22 minutes.
While his scoring production wasn't there, his ability to attack off the dribble was still evident. He will be a spark plug for Los Angeles all season, whether he continues to come off the bench or eventually makes his way into the starting lineup.
Jake LaRavia -- B-plus
During the preseason, it looked like LaRavia had regained the outside shooting touch that had deserted him last season. He still had it on Wednesday, as he hit two of his three 3-point tries and four of his five overall shot attempts to score 10 points in 18 minutes. He also had two rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Unfortunately, in the second half, LaRavia suffered what appeared to be a lower leg injury and had to leave. As long as the injury isn't too severe, he will likely help out off the bench more than he did last season.
Kevon Looney -- B
Looney played 15 minutes and made three of five shots to score six points while grabbing five rebounds and adding one assist against his former team. His best days may be behind him, but he should be able to help the Lakers on the boards and perhaps on the defensive end.
Jaden Hardy, Bronny James, Chris Mañon: Incomplete
Hardy, James and Mañon got onto the court during garbage time in the fourth quarter. Hardy scored three points on 1-of-3 shooting, James made his lone shot attempt for two points and Mañon went 1-of-3 to score two points. Hardy also had two rebounds and Mañon got one rebound.
This article originally appeared on Lakers Wire: Lakers player grades: L.A. starts its season with a blowout win