Warriors dominate Lakers to gain Ring Night victory

LeBron feels Golden State's wrath yet again...

The Golden State Warriors kicked off the 2022-2023 NBA season in stellar fashion, collecting their championship rings in Chase Center and lifting a shiny new banner.

They then proceeded to the lay the smackdown on the fallen Los Angeles Lakers’ empire, winning 123-109 in a contest where they led by as much as 27 points.

Warriors on NBCS @NBCSWarriors

JP hits a step-back trey over LeBron 🤩

They outrebounded L.A. 48-47 and limited the visitors to 43% shooting (25% from three-point range) in a contest that quickly devolved into “how much fight will the Lakers show in garbage time” after the Dubs ripped off a 32-19 third quarter run that effectively sealed the contest.

Steph vs LeBron is still must see TV

Stephen Curry and LeBron James will always be linked as two rivals and back-to-back MVPs who clashed in four straight NBA Finals. Bron fanatics will always have the “3-1” comeback of 2016 to give them joy, while Curry’s devotees boast having the 3-1 head-to-head advantage over Bron in title battles after winning in 2015, 2017, and 2018.

King James put on a show last night, rumbling to 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists. This guy’s ability to get downhill and finish through contact is still elite, and there were times when he gashed through the Warriors defense using pure speed and power.

Dunk League @DunkLeague

LEBRON. 😳

Curry responded with a game high 35 points, along with 7 assists and 4 steals. He nailed four triples and aside from some careless turnovers, orchestrated the Warriors offense with ease and creativity.

Warriors on NBCS @NBCSWarriors

AD had no idea which way Steph was going 😅

These two guys are the cream of the crop and the best basketball has to offer. Unfortunately for Bron, Curry also had Andrew Wiggins (20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) and Klay Thompson (18 points in 20 minutes) bringing some more firepower to the starting lineup.

Loon harasses The Brow

Kevon Looney’s defensive effort on Anthony Davis did a lot to keep the Lakers from getting momentum. AD is a 6-foot-10, 250 pound All-NBA big man who has a slick blend of physicality, length, and finesse that usually means he can put his defenders in a torture rack.

Loon held Davis to 4-of-10 shooting from the field per NBA.com matchup data, doing a lot of his work early to push Davis out of the deep post before the Lakers could feed him in advantageous positions. This meant Davis repeatedly had to settle for tough jumpers over Looney’s freakish 7-foot-4 wingspan, which is a huge win for Golden State’s defense.

When the Lakers tried to attack Looney off the dribble with Davis and LeBron, he rebuffed them with his trademark anticipatory footwork and length.

Calvin Fong @CalFongNBA

This is championship-level defense Looney forces LeBron left, to not allow middle. Also wants to funnel LeBron towards his help Dray helps early to force LeBron into a pull-up. As soon as he pulls up, Dray peels back to AD. Looney contests with length, and it's a miss

Joe Viray @JoeVirayNBA

It still amazes me sometimes how Kevon Looney is able to keep up laterally. It *shouldn't* be possible, but he just does. Just rock-solid defense from him.

Davis finished the night with 27 points on 10-of-22 shooting with 6 rebounds and 4 steals, but his buckets weren’t able to keep the Lakers in striking distance. The Warriors under Coach Kerr do a brilliant job of mucking up the other team’s offense while running up the score. A big part of that is Big Loon relishing the responsibility of battling with an Olympian like Davis and slowing him down.

Poole leads bench attack

There’s been plenty of speculation that this may be the deepest Warriors team of the Splash Bros. That is something that remains to be seen, but I can tell you for a fact that Golden State’s bench is FAR superior to the Lakers’ reserves. And that’s no shade to Oakland legend Juan Toscano-Anderson who picked up his championship ring last night in honor of his services as a Dub.

Los Angeles Lakers @Lakers

Congrats champ @juanonjuan10

The Warriors bench outscored the Lakers’ 41-23, led by Jordan Poole’s 12 points. He shot a rough 4-of-15 from the field, but delivered seven assists. That’s right folks, Golden State got seven dimes from both Curry and Poole, a dangerous omen for teams who think they can catch a break when the greatest player alive comes off the floor.

Warriors on NBCS @NBCSWarriors

JP ➡️ Wiseman

Moving On

I’d love to hear what you good folks felt about the game here in Dub Nation. We going 82-0 or what?