Curry's Dagger, Butler's 31 Lift Warriors Past Lakers

Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler combined for 54 points to lead Golden State to a 119–109 opening-night road win over the Lakers, a statement victory punctuated by Curry’s late dagger three and Buddy Hield’s 5-of-10 shooting from deep off the bench. Jonathan Kuminga flirted with a triple-double and Draymond Green ran the show despite an early technical; Los Angeles leaned on Luka Dončić’s 43-point triple-double and Austin Reaves’ 26 but lost the turnover battle (39 combined) and the momentum without LeBron James. Merlin sees this as more than a single box score — it’s a preview of two identity paths: Golden State’s offense clicking around veteran poise and hot shooting, Los Angeles still dependent on Dončić’s heroics. Early chaos and physicality promise a spicy rivalry; the Warriors have the edge if the bench keeps scorching and turnovers shrink.