Warriors instant analysis: Butler leads balanced attack past Doncic, Lakers in season opener

LOS ANGELES – On one side was a brilliant offensive talent, a singular force wearing purple and gold. On the other side, donning blue, was an effective collective. 

On Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, the Warriors’ team-centric approach to scoring the ball prevailed over the Lakers’ all-Luka Doncic, all the time tactics in a 119-109 victory. With sciatica relegating LeBron James to the sidelines, Doncic was unstoppable as a scorer and put up 43 points.

However, after a close first half that saw the Warriors lead just 55-54 at halftime, the visitors outscored Los Angeles by 10 in the third quarter to create cushion. Steph Curry put in 23, Jimmy Butler poured in an efficient 31, and Jonathan Kuminga had 17.

Draymond Green orchestrated much of it as a passer in the post, while Buddy Hield provided punch off the bench with 17 points. While the Lakers relied on one player to do almost everything, the Warriors got contributions from the entire group as Steve Kerr played an 11-man rotation.

The Lakers made them work for the win, though. After Will Richard’s 3-ponter gave the Warriors a 105-90 lead with 5:40 left, the Lakers went on a 9-0 run over the next two minutes behind Austin Reaves, who scored 26. Following a Steve Kerr timeout, Butler hit a 3-pointer to push the advantage back to eight points.

A Curry dagger with a minute remaining to put the Warriors back up by 10 iced the game.

The Warriors (1-0) will have one day off before playing their home opener against Denver on Thursday.

Kuminga keys third quarter run

Much has been made about Kuminga’s fit with veteran frontcourt mates Green and Butler. If the third quarter was any indication, the Warriors could thrive when those three are on the floor. 

After going into halftime just up by one, Kuminga scored 13 points and made a trio of triples to help the Warriors take a 15-point advantage by the mid-point of the third quarter. 

In addition to guarding Doncic, Kuminga looked comfortable launching bombs from behind the arc against a porous Lakers defense while also creating space as a cutter when Green had the ball at the elbow. 

Butler goes off

Sitting in a stuffy, crowded pregame press conference, Kerr waxed poetic about Butler’s ability to draw fouls. On a team known for shooting 3-pointers and flashy plays, his ability to grind out points at the free throw line has given the Warriors an added dimension. 

That was instantly apparent in the first quarter, when Butler scored 12 points. He finished the first half with 10 free-throw attempts, his final two earned when he grabbed a last-second offensive rebound and was able to get up a shot. 

He was money in the fourth, too. Butler’s layup and free throws helped keep the Lakes at bay.

Butler’s 16 made free throws surpassed Jerry Lucas (14) for the most by a Warrior in a season opener.

Chippy play

It might have just been the first of 82 regular-season games, but the Lakers-Warriors matchup had the intensity of a postseason series. 

Draymond Green, of course, earned the first technical of the Warriors’ season from the bench when he protested a no-call on what could have been offensive goaltending in the first quarter.

He earned one point back, though, when Lakers power forward Jarred Vanderbilt shoved Green later in the half. Green appeared to be trying to move toward the official to have a conversation, and the Lakers forward took offense.

Curry had some choice words for Marcus Smart with 5:33 left in the first half after the Warriors defender put Curry’s right shoulder in an arm lock and yanked him to the ground. It resulted in a flagrant foul. 

Other notables

• Second-round rookie Will Richard has been a revelation in training camp, and the coaching staff showed that their high praise were not empty words on Tuesday night. Richard played 14 minutes, was a pest on defense and even had a stint guarding Doncic. 
• Turnovers plagued the Warriors during the preaseason, with the team committing at least 20 in each of their five exhibition matchups. On Tuesday night, the Warriors cut down on them, if only slightly. They gave the ball away 18 times.