Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors were given a dose of reality on Wednesday night, dropping their season opener 127-105 to the Los Angeles Lakers on the road. The always-competitive matchup between the Warriors and Lakers turned into a one-sided affair, with LA running roughshod over Golden State in a dominant performance.
It would not be fair to say things went awry for the Warriors from tipoff, but it certainly didn’t take long to get out of hand, with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves feasting on Golden State’s defensive miscues all night long.
Curry led the Warriors with 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting. He went 2-of-7 from beyond the 3-point line and was perfect from the charity stripe, going 7-of-7. However, it was not enough to keep Golden State in the game.
Fans were frustrated after the loss, and Curry’s dejected look on the bench only added to the concerns. Here’s how fans reacted on social media:
“Steph Curry knows he messed up signing that contract extension with the Warriors 😭,” one fan posted on X.
Despite a quiet offseason in which the front office made roster improvements through the draft and free agency, the Warriors were exposed in Game 1. While it is only one game, Golden State looked a step behind the Lakers and appeared to be outmatched throughout the contest.
It’s Only One Game, but It Was a Disaster
The Warriors are the oldest team in the NBA and appeared to be a step behind the Lakers the entire contest. Whether surrendering points in the paint or failing to maintain enough possession to generate quality scoring chances, Golden State looked like they were playing in a completely different league than LA.
It’s still early in the season, and the Warriors have a few players nursing minor injuries, but they cannot afford to wait until the injured players return to start making a run.
After missing the postseason last year, Golden State simply cannot afford to lapse into the flat mindset they showed in their season opener. As the league’s oldest team, they need to tap into their collective experience and ride out the bad nights. It’s a long season, but it gets late fast. The Warriors get a chance to erase the bad feeling from Wednesday’s loss when they return for Friday night’s home opener against the Memphis Grizzlies.
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