Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers: Curry's Late Flurry Topples Lakers in Opening-Night Thriller
The Golden State Warriors opened the 2026 NBA season with a 118-112 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center, riding a decisive 12-2 fourth-quarter run to break open a game that had been deadlocked through three quarters. Stephen Curry's 34-point masterclass, capped by a step-back three with 1:47 remaining, proved the difference in a contest that lived up to the rivalry's billing. The win hands Golden State the early inside track in the Western Conference tiebreaker picture while leaving Los Angeles to rue a fourth quarter that slipped through its fingers.
Match Summary
The Chase Center crowd was at full throat before the opening tip, and the players matched that intensity from the first possession. Golden State came out in its familiar motion offense, whipping the ball around the perimeter and hunting early shot-clock threes. Curry set the tone 38 seconds in, curling off a Draymond Green screen and burying a triple from the right wing. The Lakers answered methodically, pounding the ball inside to Anthony Davis, who drew two quick fouls on Kevon Looney and converted four free throws in the opening four minutes.
The first quarter settled into a compelling stylistic tug-of-war. Golden State pushed tempo off every defensive rebound, with Green grabbing and going to trigger transition attacks before the Lakers' defense could set. Los Angeles, meanwhile, deliberately slowed possessions, running its half-court sets through LeBron James at the elbow and hunting mismatches on the block. The Warriors led 31-27 after one, buoyed by five three-pointers, but the Lakers' interior dominance was already telling a story: they had outscored Golden State 16-6 in the paint.
The second quarter brought the first significant momentum swing. With Curry resting, the Lakers' bench unit seized control. Austin Reaves orchestrated a 10-2 run over a three-minute stretch, mixing a pull-up jumper with two assists to Davis rolling to the rim. Los Angeles took its first lead at 44-41 on a James transition dunk that silenced the home crowd. Warriors coach Steve Kerr responded immediately, reinserting Curry and Green, and the starters stabilized the game. Curry scored eight straight Golden State points, including a four-point play when he baited Reaves into a closeout foul. The teams traded blows through the final minutes of the half, and a James fadeaway at the buzzer sent the Lakers into the locker room up 58-56.
The third quarter was a war of attrition. Neither team could build a lead larger than four points. Davis was dominant on both ends, blocking two shots and altering several more, while Green's defensive versatility kept the Warriors connected. The game's physicality escalated, with three technical fouls assessed in a heated 90-second stretch midway through the period after a scuffle under the basket between Green and Jarred Vanderbilt. Curry and James traded three-pointers in the final minute of the quarter, and the teams entered the fourth tied at 86-86.
The final period delivered the drama the rivalry demands. The Lakers opened with a 7-0 run, capped by a D'Angelo Russell three from the left corner, to take a 93-86 lead with 9:42 remaining. Chase Center fell quiet. But the Warriors' response was swift and ruthless. Kerr went to a small-ball lineup with Green at center and Andrew Wiggins at power forward, spreading the floor with four shooters around Curry. The adjustment unlocked everything. Golden State ripped off a 12-2 run over the next three minutes, with Curry scoring seven and Wiggins adding a corner three off a Curry drive-and-kick.
The Lakers clawed back to tie at 104-104 on a Davis put-back with 3:15 left, setting up a tense finish. That's when Curry took over. He hit a floater in the lane, then stripped James on the ensuing possession and raced the other way for a layup. After Davis split a pair of free throws, Curry delivered the dagger: a step-back three over Vanderbilt's outstretched hand with 1:47 remaining to put Golden State up 111-105. The Lakers had one last push, cutting the deficit to three on a Reaves three with 28 seconds left, but Klay Thompson iced it at the line, and Green sealed the game with a steal on the Lakers' final meaningful possession. The Warriors ran out 118-112 winners.
Tactical Breakdown & Key Phases
The game was a textbook clash of opposing basketball philosophies, and the tactical chess match between Kerr and Lakers coach Darvin Ham defined the night.
Golden State's offensive structure revolved around Curry's gravity. The Warriors ran a steady diet of dribble-handoff actions and off-ball screens, forcing the Lakers to make split-second decisions on whether to switch or chase. When Los Angeles switched, Curry attacked the big man off the dribble; when they chased, Green found cutters in the vacated space. Golden State generated 32 three-point attempts, converting 14, and assisted on 28 of their 42 field goals - a hallmark of their ball-movement identity.
Defensively, the Warriors' game plan was clear: concede nothing easy at the rim while daring the Lakers' supporting cast to beat them from outside. Green anchored a switching scheme that blunted James's pick-and-roll effectiveness, and Golden State's help rotations were crisp, particularly in the fourth quarter. The Lakers shot just 8-of-31 from three-point range, and that inefficiency proved fatal in crunch time.
Los Angeles's approach was equally deliberate. Ham emphasized interior touches, running James and Davis in high pick-and-rolls designed to force switches and create mismatches. The Lakers outscored Golden State 54-38 in the paint and attempted 28 free throws to the Warriors' 19. Davis was a force, finishing with 28 points and 14 rebounds, and James orchestrated beautifully with 24 points and 11 assists. But the Lakers' half-court offense stagnated in the fourth quarter when Golden State's small-ball lineup took away driving lanes. Los Angeles managed just 26 points in the final period on 9-of-22 shooting.
The critical tactical adjustment came with 9:42 remaining. Trailing 93-86, Kerr benched Looney and went to Green at center with Wiggins, Thompson, and Curry flanking him. This lineup sacrificed rebounding for spacing and switchability. The result: Golden State outscored Los Angeles 32-19 over the final nine-plus minutes. The Lakers had no answer for the five-out attack, and their own offense couldn't exploit the size advantage because Green's low-center of gravity and active hands neutralized Davis on the block.
Ham's counter - bringing Vanderbilt in for defense and going bigger - backfired. Vanderbilt's lack of shooting allowed Green to roam as a free safety, disrupting the Lakers' half-court actions. By the time Ham reinserted Russell for spacing, the Warriors had seized control.
Transition play was another decisive factor. Golden State scored 22 fast-break points to Los Angeles's 11, repeatedly turning defensive rebounds and steals into quick strikes before the Lakers' defense could organize. The Warriors' 10 steals, five of them in the fourth quarter, were the engine of their closing surge.
Decisive Moments
- 10:42, Q1: Curry's opening three off a Green screen sets the tone and forces the Lakers to extend their defense, opening driving lanes for the rest of the half.
- 6:18, Q2: Reaves's 10-2 run gives Los Angeles its first lead at 44-41, prompting Kerr to reinsert Curry and Green earlier than planned.
- 0:02, Q2: James's buzzer-beating fadeaway sends the Lakers into halftime up 58-56, swinging momentum and validating their half-court approach.
- 5:33, Q3: Three technical fouls assessed after a Green-Vanderbilt scuffle; the game's physicality escalates, and both teams tighten up offensively.
- 9:42, Q4: Russell's corner three caps a 7-0 Lakers run and gives Los Angeles a 93-86 lead - its largest of the game - forcing Kerr's decisive small-ball adjustment.
- 6:50, Q4: Wiggins's corner three off a Curry drive-and-kick caps a 12-2 Warriors run and reclaims the lead at 98-95.
- 3:15, Q4: Davis's put-back ties the game at 104-104, setting up the closing sequence.
- 2:31, Q4: Curry strips James at midcourt and converts a transition layup, a four-point swing that proves to be the game's defining defensive play.
- 1:47, Q4: Curry's step-back three over Vanderbilt puts Golden State up 111-105 - the dagger.
- 0:28, Q4: Reaves's three cuts the deficit to three, but Thompson's free throws and Green's steal seal the outcome.
Match Statistics & Technical Breakdown
Statistic / Golden State Warriors / Los Angeles Lakers
Field Goal Percentage: 48.8% (42/86) (Golden State Warriors) - 45.2% (38/84) (Los Angeles Lakers)
Three-Point Percentage: 43.8% (14/32) (Golden State Warriors) - 25.8% (8/31) (Los Angeles Lakers)
Free Throw Percentage: 83.3% (20/24) (Golden State Warriors) - 78.6% (22/28) (Los Angeles Lakers)
Rebounds: 41 (Golden State Warriors) - 48 (Los Angeles Lakers)
Assists: 28 (Golden State Warriors) - 24 (Los Angeles Lakers)
Steals: 10 (Golden State Warriors) - 6 (Los Angeles Lakers)
Blocks: 4 (Golden State Warriors) - 7 (Los Angeles Lakers)
Turnovers: 11 (Golden State Warriors) - 15 (Los Angeles Lakers)
Points in the Paint: 38 (Golden State Warriors) - 54 (Los Angeles Lakers)
Fast Break Points: 22 (Golden State Warriors) - 11 (Los Angeles Lakers)
Bench Points: 24 (Golden State Warriors) - 31 (Los Angeles Lakers)
Technical Fouls: 2 (Golden State Warriors) - 1 (Los Angeles Lakers)
The statistical profile reveals the game's central tension: Los Angeles dominated the interior, winning the rebound battle and scoring 16 more points in the paint, but Golden State's three-point shooting and transition efficiency more than compensated. The Warriors' 14 made threes to the Lakers' eight represented an 18-point swing from beyond the arc - precisely the margin that decided the contest. Golden State's 10 steals and plus-four turnover differential generated the extra possessions that proved decisive in a game decided by six points.
Tournament Outlook & Next Fixtures
The win moves Golden State to 1-0 on the young season, giving the Warriors an early foothold in the Western Conference standings and, more importantly, the first tiebreaker edge in a rivalry that could well determine playoff seeding come April. For a team that has historically relied on its home-court advantage at Chase Center, opening with a win over a direct conference rival is a meaningful psychological and practical victory. Kerr's willingness to close with the small-ball lineup signals that Golden State's identity remains flexible and matchup-driven, a promising sign for a roster navigating the grind of an 82-game season.
Los Angeles falls to 0-1, but the performance offered plenty of encouragement. Davis looked every bit the two-way force the Lakers need him to be, and James's playmaking was sharp. The concern is familiar: three-point shooting and fourth-quarter execution. If Los Angeles can generate more reliable perimeter production from its role players, the interior dominance it displayed will translate into more wins than losses. Ham will have to decide whether Vanderbilt's defensive value outweighs his offensive limitations in closing lineups - a question that will define the Lakers' season.
Both teams now face quick turnarounds. Golden State travels to face the Phoenix Suns in a marquee Western Conference showdown, a game that will test whether the Warriors' small-ball closing unit can hold up against elite perimeter scoring. Los Angeles returns home to host the Denver Nuggets, a matchup that will pit Davis against Nikola Jokic in a battle of MVP-caliber big men and offer an early referendum on the Lakers' interior-focused approach.
For now, the Warriors own the first bragging rights of the season - and in a rivalry this tight, every edge matters.
