Los Angeles Lakers beat Golden State Warriors 127-105: Walker Kessler goes 12-for-12 for 26 in his Lakers debut, and Luka Doncic adds 28

Walker Kessler made all 12 of his shots and scored 26 points in his first game for the Los Angeles Lakers, and Luka Doncic added 28 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in a 127-105 win over the Golden State Warriors at crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, October 21. Doncic also banked in a 49-footer at the halftime buzzer, and the Lakers led by as many as 35.

Kessler added 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in 30 minutes, with most of his baskets coming on dunks and alley-oops from Doncic and Austin Reaves, and he was plus-24. Reaves scored 23 and made all 10 of his free throws. Stephen Curry scored 16 points in the first quarter of his 18th season and finished with 23, but he did not make a field goal after the opening period.

WALKER KESSLER IS 11-FOR-11 FROM THE FIELD 💯

He's up to 22 PTS in his Lakers debut! pic.twitter.com/vHFpOgDL5m

— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2026

Video: NBA / X.

How it turned

Curry came out hot. He scored on a pull-up, two layups, a bank shot, a 12-footer and threes from 23 and 25 feet, going 7-of-9 in the first quarter. Doncic answered with three threes, including a 26-foot step-back, and Jake LaRavia’s three with 30.4 seconds left gave the Lakers a 34-33 lead after one.

Golden State was within 49-48 with 3:21 left in the second quarter. The Lakers then went on a 27-6 run that carried into the third quarter. Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili scored on drives, Kessler added a running dunk, and Doncic scored 10 points in the final 2:28 of the half, capped by a banked 49-footer with 1.4 seconds left that made it 66-52 at halftime. Yaxel Lendeborg was called for a technical foul in the final half-minute.

Kessler opened the third with three dunks in 1:44, the last one off a Doncic pass for a 76-54 lead. Reaves scored 11 points in the quarter, including a 25-foot three off a Kessler pass, and the Lakers led 102-68 after three. Matisse Thybulle’s three early in the fourth made it 105-70, the biggest lead of the night, and Golden State won the fourth quarter 37-25.

LUKA BEATS THE Q2 BUZZER FROM HALF-COURT 😲

HE'S GOT 23 PTS AT THE BREAK! pic.twitter.com/lUaQNNRM88

— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2026

The numbers

The Lakers shot 57 percent from the field, went 24-of-27 at the free-throw line and scored 66 points in the paint to Golden State’s 56. Doncic went 7-of-18 from the field, 5-of-12 from three and 9-of-9 at the line, with 3 steals and 6 turnovers, and was plus-31. Grimes had 10 points and 4 assists off the bench and was plus-20, LaRavia scored 10 on 4-of-5 shooting, and Ziaire Williams added 9.

Golden State’s side

The Warriors made 8 of 36 threes. Curry shot 7-of-15, missing 5 of his 7 threes, and made all 7 of his free throws in 21 minutes. Brandon Williams scored 14 off the bench, Gui Santos and Lendeborg had 12 each, and Gary Payton II scored 10. Draymond Green handed out 8 assists but scored 2 points. Golden State forced 18 turnovers with 15 steals. The Warriors played without Jimmy Butler III (knee), Brandin Podziemski (back), Moses Moody (knee) and Kristaps Porzingis.

What’s next

The Lakers host the LA Clippers on Friday, October 23 (10 p.m. ET, 5 a.m. Saturday Cairo time). The Warriors host the Memphis Grizzlies the same night (10 p.m. ET, 5 a.m. Saturday Cairo time).

Full box score and play-by-play: Game Center. All-time head-to-head. Before the game: the Warriors began exploring trades for Porzingis.