LOS ANGELES: Luka Doncic scored 28 points and Walker Kessler delivered a spectacular 26 as the Los Angeles Lakers launched life after LeBron James with an emphatic 127-105 NBA victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
Doncic, dubbed the future of the franchise when he arrived from Dallas in February 2025, starts the season as the undisputed leader of the team after superstar James's move to Philadelphia as a free agent in July.
The 27-year-old Slovenian delivered a mission statement in a full-page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday – telling fans "Tonight we start our run for a championship."
He followed up with an exuberant display against a Warriors team led by 23 points from veteran Stephen Curry.
He answered some chirping from Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg with a halfcourt three-pointer at the first-half buzzer, just one highlight on a night that saw the Lakers lead by as many as 35.
"It was just how everybody played," Doncic said. "I think first quarter our defence wasn't that good, but then after that we just locked in and I think everybody had fun."
Kessler, acquired from Utah in July, made a historic Lakers debut, going a perfect 12 for 12 from the floor with 10 dunks.
"What he did today was unbelievable for us," Doncic said.
The second night of the new season featured an array of familiar faces in new places.
Minnesota star Anthony Edwards erupted for 45 points as the Timberwolves spoiled two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo's Heat debut with a 131-106 triumph in Miami.
Edwards joined Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan as the only players with multiple 40-point season openers.
He teamed seamlessly with new arrival LaMelo Ball, added 10 rebounds and three assists. He had nine of the Timberwolves' 21 three-pointers while Ball, who joined from Charlotte this season, drilled five treys on the way to 21 points.
"At this point, me and him are gonna be like best friends," Edwards said before exchanging a beaming hug with Ball.
Antetokounmpo, the former Bucks talisman who captured one championship and two Most Valuable Player awards in his 13-year tenure in Milwaukee, looked the part, connecting on 13 of 19 attempts from the floor on the way to 35 points with six rebounds.
But the Heat as a whole – widely tipped as Eastern Conference contenders after landing Antetokounmpo – had no answer for the Timberwolves.
In Washington, Anthony Davis made his Wizards debut nine months after he was acquired from Dallas in a blockbuster trade and spearheaded a 128-118 victory over the Bucks.
Now recovered from hand and groin injuries, Davis scored 34 points and pulled down 12 rebounds drawing chants of "MVP!" from Wizards fans who suffered through the team's league-worst 17-65 campaign last season and saw top draft pick AJ Dybantsa suffer an ankle injury in the team's pre-season finale.
Trae Young added 20 points and 13 assists in the Wizards' first season-opening win since 2022.
It was back to the future in Toronto, where the Raptors welcomed the return of Kawhi Leonard with a 135-92 blowout of the Chicago Bulls.
Leonard, who led Raptors to their first title in 2019, is back after a trade from the LA Clippers – a deal delayed by a league probe that found the Clippers and Leonard violated salary-cap circumvention rules, leading to stiff sanctions for the club.
Leonard, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley scored 23 points each for the Raptors, who led by as many as 48 points in the wire-to-wire triumph.
- Haliburton return -
Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton, playing his first game since he tore his right Achilles tendon in game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals, scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and added 12 assists as the Pacers edged the Pelicans 123-120 in New Orleans.
Haliburton, who put the Pacers ahead for good with a driving basket with 1:23 to play, was overcome with emotion in an on-court postgame interview.
"It means a lot to be back out here," he said, wiping away tears.
Dallas guard Kyrie Irving, playing his first game in more than 19 months after recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, scored 15 points for the Mavericks in a 128-110 loss to the Houston Rockets. - AFP
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