The Golden State Warriors opened their preseason home slate with a one-sided 124-98 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at Chase Center, turning a short exhibition into a fast show of force. Golden State led 11-2 within the first two minutes, scored 45 points in the first quarter and 36 in the second, and was ahead 81-53 by halftime.
That is the reason gsw was the game people were searching for: a preseason opener that looked finished before the benches even fully settled in. Steph Curry played only 14 minutes but still scored 16 points, hit 4-of-7 shots and 3-of-6 from deep, handed out five assists and committed no turnovers. Draymond Green added one three-pointer, eight assists and a plus-25 mark in 15 minutes, while Brandin Podziemski scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Yaxel Lendeborg was the most efficient of the bunch, finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds on 7-of-11 from the field.
The Lakers made the game easier to read because they were missing Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, leaving Golden State to do what it was supposed to do against a depleted opponent. The Warriors also separated with a late 22-4 run, a burst that fit the way the first half had already gone and made the final margin look almost routine.
Still, Curry’s view cut against the scoreboard. He has long treated preseason results as something close to irrelevant, and Steve Kerr backed that approach by pulling Curry and Green at halftime after only a partial run. That leaves the same practical test in front of Golden State that every preseason team faces: not whether it can win once, but whether it can keep the pace and the ball movement when the minutes get real.
The next checkpoint comes quickly. Golden State travels to Oregon to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. PT, giving the Warriors little time to dwell on a lopsided opener that looked sharp, even if nobody inside the room will pretend it counted for much.
