The Golden State Warriors have opened the 2025-26 NBA season with a 119-109 win on the road over the Los Angeles Lakers. Jimmy Butler led the Warriors with 31 points, 16 of which came from a perfect free-throw shooting performance, while Steph Curry added 23 points.

Luka Doncic nearly recorded a triple-double in Lakers vs. Warriors and joined Kobe Bryant with his 40 points in a season opener.

That said, a 40-year-old LeBron James will miss the Lakers' opener against the Warriors. The four-time league MVP and four-time NBA champ is dealing with sciatica and is reportedly eying a mid-November return. James' early-season absence could set the stage for the beginning of a Dončić MVP campaign.

Austin Reaves averaged a career-best 20.2 points per game last season, and he ramped it up to 22.8 points per game from February 1 through the end of the regular season. In three games played with Luka and without LeBron, he posted totals of 28, 30, and 22.