Jimmy Butler scored 31 points and Stephen Curry added 23 as the visiting Golden State Warriors opened the season with a 119-109 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Jonathan Kuminga produced 17 points and nine rebounds and Buddy Hield also had 17 points for the Warriors, who took control with an 18-4 scoring burst to open the second half.
Golden State finished 17 of 40 (42.5%) from 3-point range as Kuminga went 4 of 6 from distance and Hield went 5 of 10. Curry was 3 of 9 from the 3-point arc.
Luka Doncic amassed 43 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in his first season opener with the Lakers after arriving in a trade from the Dallas Mavericks in February. Austin Reaves totaled 26 points and nine assists for Los Angeles.
Deandre Ayton scored 10 points in his Lakers debut as Los Angeles went 8 of 32 (25.0%) from 3-point range while missing 11 of 28 free-throw attempts. The Warriors went 26 of 29 from the free-throw line with Butler going 16 of 16.
Lakers star LeBron James missed the first season opener of his 23-year NBA career due to sciatica.
The Warriors turned a one-point halftime lead into a 73-58 advantage less than five minutes into the second half. Golden State led 90-79 through three quarters behind 13 points from Kuminga in the period.
The Lakers’ Rui Hachimura started a 9-0 run with a 3-pointer and Los Angeles pulled within 105-99 with 3:59 remaining.
Draymond Green made a 3-pointer to put the Warriors up 108-99, and Butler made a reverse layup for a 110-100 advantage with 2:29 to go. Curry sealed the victory by sinking a 3-pointer with 51.2 seconds remaining.
Green had eight points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
The Lakers trailed for much of the first half before going on a 16-5 run to grab a 51-50 advantage. The Warriors led 55-54 at the break.
Doncic led all scorers with 22 points in the first half, while Butler topped the Warriors with 17 points. Golden State went 16 of 18 from the free-throw line in the first half, while Los Angeles went 9 of 16.
