The Golden State Warriors opened their preseason home slate by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 124-98 on Tuesday night at Chase Center, a result that was decided early and kept getting wider. Golden State moved to 1-1 in the preseason with the win.
The game had the feel of one the Warriors expected to handle, and they did. Steph Curry scored 16 points in 14 minutes, hit 4-for-7 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep, and finished with five assists, no turnovers and a game-high plus-26. Draymond Green added a three-pointer on his only shot, handed out eight assists in 15 minutes and finished plus-25. Brandin Podziemski scored 16 points in 19 minutes, while Yaxel Lendeborg, a rookie, put up 17 points and nine rebounds on 7-for-11 shooting, a line that made him look like a strong bet for a starting role when opening night arrives.
Golden State set the tone almost immediately. It scored 45 points in the first quarter and led 81-53 at halftime after putting up 36 more in the second quarter. Curry's first four-point play came at the 6:55 mark of the opening period, part of a burst that left the Lakers chasing the game before it had settled in. The final margin reflected that start, and it also reflected how much control the Warriors had while their top players were on the floor.
Then came the part that kept the game from telling one clean story. Curry and Green were removed at halftime, and the second unit managed only 15 points in the third quarter. Golden State still coasted, but the drop-off showed how much the first-half surge depended on the veterans who set it in motion. That is the sharp edge of a preseason game like this: the scoreboard can say blowout while the bench minutes say something less certain.
The Lakers were short-handed without Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, leaving them with three core players unavailable as the night tilted further toward Golden State. The Warriors now head to Oregon to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. PT, and the bigger question from Chase Center is not whether they can score. It is whether the same level of control shows up once the minutes lengthen and the rotation thins.
