Lakers Vs Warriors Opening Night Drought

One of the biggest things I was looking forward to in the offseason was the Lakers’ matchup against the Golden State Warriors on opening night during their ring ceremony. I feel like this would have been the best opportunity for the Lakers to show their dominance going into this fresh season and that a win here would be a good confidence boost for the players and the fans.

Unfortunately, that is not what happened on Tuesday night as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 123-109. One of the main reasons the Lakers lost was their terrible three-point shooting. They finished this game 10-for-40 from behind the arc. I’m not saying I expected Los Angeles to be an elite three-point shooting team, but most of the shots they took were wide-open. They just weren’t knocking them down. 

Watching your team shoot so poorly from behind the ark is disappointing and hard. On top of that, you can sense there was a lack of energy, especially on the defensive end. So, let’s look at the good, bad, and ugly from this game.

Individual Performances

Looking at individual performances, Russell Westbrook had a very efficient game shooting 7-for-12 from the field, with 11 rebounds and three assists. Compared to last season so far, I love the energy he played with and his decision-making process. When Westbrook slows down, his game can be a lot more effective. Hopefully, this is a recurring theme from him.

I did feel like there was a very underwhelming performance from their two co-stars, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. Although they finished with 31 and 27, some easy shots just weren’t falling tonight for those guys. Also, I don’t know how I feel about James James shooting 10 threes this game and only hitting three. James plays best when attacking the basket and not settling for long threes early into the shot clock. 

Due to it being the first game of the season, I’ll give these guys the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to a little bit of rustiness due to a long off-season. But moving forward, for the Lakers to win important games, we must make shots, especially three-point shots.

Biggest Takeaways

Other than that, I think the biggest problem was the lack of bench production. Before the season started, I stressed the importance of guys like Lonnie Walker, Dennis Schröder, and Austin Reaves being X-factors off the bench for the Lakers to win games.

Unfortunately, none of those guys really showed up. Kendrick Nunn came off the bench scoring 13 points with two assists and three rebounds. Walker scored five points with five assists and three rebounds, and Reaves finished the game with only three points and one assist.

For the Lakers to win a championship, we must have guys off the bench that give us energy and production. In my opinion, I was disappointed that the guys I expected to have decent performances took a big step back. 

Now, this may be a slight overreaction because it is the first game of the season. Going forward, I will keep an eye out on these guys’ performances to see how they’ve improved.

Although the Lakers lost to the Warriors on opening night, I’m looking forward to seeing what the team brings throughout the season. Going into the next few games, I think the best thing the Lakers can do is shoot a higher percentage from three and pick up our effort on the defensive end. If we focus on those two things, we can lock in some wins early in the season. 

So Lakers nation, don’t get too frustrated. We have a long season ahead of us, and there will be ups and downs in life. However, it is all a part of the journey and our quest for 18.