Extend the party. That's what the Golden State Warriors did on Tuesday. The reigning NBA champions kicked off their 2022-2023 season with a 123-109 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The LA team has a lot of work ahead of them. Perhaps the only consolation left for the Lakers is that they have conceded ground to what is, by far, the best team in the competition. The Golden State Warriors are positioned as the clear favourites to make the victory lap at the end of the season. Their roster, coach and reserves are some of the points that have transformed them into a formidable team.
Tuesday's game, played in the San Francisco Bay Area, was 'even' until halftime. At that point (52-59), the Lakers had fought - more with emotion than with order - against a team that, from the start, showed the virtues that every champion reflects.
The Lakers' momentum had collapsed just five minutes after the break. The Warriors, who enjoyed a great performance from Thompson Klay (32), took advantage of the seven points scored by the American shooting guard and, alongside transitions - one of the hallmarks of the team - started to pull away
A three-pointer by JaMychal Green (32), another by Stephen Curry and the combination of Jordan Poole (23) and James Wiseman (21) did too much damage to the Lakers who, relying on the eternal magic of LeBron James, failed to impose themselves on the game
Dervin Ham tried to sustain the Lakers with the presence of Anthony Davis (29) and LeBron. However, the Hollywood team couldn't find a method to discomfort the Golden State Warriors' transitions.
LeBron, the Lakers' one consolation
The Lakers' first setback of the season leaves little positives. However, LeBron James continues to be in top form. The forward continues to set new NBA records and on Tuesday, he set an enviable figure: James completed his 300th game with 30 points and 10 rebounds. Only Shaquille O'Neal comes close to that statistic - 296 games.
LeBron's mark was eclipsed by the excellent Stephen Curry though. The point guard took the MVP of the game after producing fearsome stats: 33 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals in the Warriors' first game of the season.
