On Tuesday as they began their season, Luka Dončić greeted the crowd from midcourt pregame. He was easily the Lakers’ best and most important player — 43 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists in nearly 41 minutes to start a year in which plenty of people believe he can win his first Most Valuable Player.

The Warriors ran away with a 16-4 third-quarter run, eventually beating Luka Dončić (43 points) and the Lakers 119-109 to cap our opening night doubleheader.

The Phoenix Suns outscore the Lakers 33-17 in the third quarter and finish off Los Angeles for their third preseason win of 2025.

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JJ Redick has to be frustrated that this problem still exists for the Lakers heading into the new season as seen in their opening night loss.

Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors will face Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night of the NBA season.