Los Angeles Lakers 127, Golden State Warriors 105: Lakers own the middle quarters

The Golden State Warriors were level with the Los Angeles Lakers after 12 minutes on Wednesday night at crypto.com Arena. They trailed by 34 after 36. The Lakers won the second and third quarters by a combined 68-35 and cruised to a 127-105 win in the season opener.

The gap came from shooting. Los Angeles made 57 percent of its field goals. Golden State made 41 percent and went 8 of 36 from three.

How it was won

The first quarter was even. The Warriors scored 33 and the Lakers 34, and Golden State's largest lead of the night, three points, came early.

The second quarter turned it. The Lakers outscored the Warriors 32-19 and went into the break up 66-52. The third was worse for Golden State. Los Angeles scored 36 to the Warriors' 16, and the lead was 102-68 heading into the fourth. It peaked at 35.

Golden State won the fourth 37-25. That trimmed the final margin to 22 but did not change the outcome.

Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 28 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, and made 5 of 12 threes. Walker Kessler added 26 points and 9 rebounds. Austin Reaves had 23 points and 6 assists. The Lakers scored 66 points in the paint, won the rebounding battle 43-36 and went 24 of 27 at the free-throw line.

Stephen Curry scored 23 for the Warriors but made only 2 of 7 threes. Brandon Williams had 14 points and Gui Santos 12 with 5 rebounds. Golden State did reasonable work inside, with 56 points in the paint, and went 21 of 27 from the line. The 28 missed threes were the difference.

Turnovers did not decide this one. The Lakers committed 18 to the Warriors' 16 and still won by 22.

Against the number

The Lakers closed as 6.5-point favorites and covered with room to spare. The 22-point margin cleared the spread by 15.5.

The total closed at 233.5. The teams combined for 232, so the under held by a point and a half. It was closer than the game. Through three quarters the pace pointed well under, and the two teams' 62-point fourth quarter nearly pushed it over.

On the moneyline, the Lakers closed at -230 and the Warriors at +190. Full prices and the market's movement are on the game page.

What's next

This opener was the first of four games for the Warriors so far, and they now sit at 1-3. After Los Angeles they lost 111-108 at home to the Memphis Grizzlies and 131-122 at the Phoenix Suns, then got their first win, 134-114 at the Denver Nuggets.

Golden State plays next on Wednesday, October 28, at the Minnesota Timberwolves, on NBA League Pass. The shooting is the thing to watch. A team that goes 8 of 36 from three will not beat many opponents, and the Denver result showed what the offense looks like when the shots fall.

The Lakers left the opener at 1-0. Their next game was not part of the material for this recap.