"The extraordinary athlete stepped on to the Crypto.com court baseline during the first quarter of the Lakers season opener Tuesday night amid great buzz. When his smiling face was later shown on the video board, he was enveloped in the night's loudest individual cheers. Luka Doncic? LeBron James? No, Blake Snell. One game under the unofficial Dodger regime, and the Lakers are already showing their new owners what they are missing. They need more Dodgers."
"Yes, they have Doncic, and he was awesome with 43 points. And, yes, they have a stronger Austin Reaves, and he was decent with 26 points and nine assists. But, no, they don't have the Dodger-like depth required to survive without James, even though the guy is 40, and the next couple of weeks while he is dealing with his sciatica are going to feel like forever."
"On a night when nothing lit up the room like the sight of Bill Hader hanging with Ali Wong, the welcome mat to a new season was frayed, stained, and contained a message that began something like this: Nineteen turnovers, nine missed free throws, three second-chance baskets... New center Deandre Ayton? He only had two offensive rebounds. Reliable Rui Hachimura? He barely showed up, not taking his second shot until late in the second quarter and scoring on only three treys."
Blake Snell drew the night's loudest cheers when his face appeared on the video board during the Lakers season opener. LeBron sat injured with sciatica while new owner Mark Walter watched as the Lakers stumbled to a 119-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Luka Doncic scored 43 points and Austin Reaves added 26 points and nine assists, but the team committed 19 turnovers, missed nine free throws and produced only three second-chance baskets. Deandre Ayton managed two offensive rebounds, Rui Hachimura scored just three treys, and newcomers Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia had limited positive impact. Golden State used balanced contributions with four players in double figures and closed out the game.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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