The Golden State Warriors’ opening night can be summed up with just one image. As the Los Angeles Lakers absolutely destroyed them in a 127-105 rout, cameras caught Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler sitting side-by-side. Butler was in street clothes while he recovers from a torn ACL. Both men stared blankly ahead as the deficit grew.
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On Inside the NBA, the shot didn’t need much explanation. “Dead man walking,” Charles Barkley said. “We in trouble y’all.” Kenny Smith pushed back. “Well, not when Jimmy comes back.”
“First game of the season,” Ernie Johnson added.
Barkley wasn’t buying it. “Jimmy not coming back till February,” he said. “They’ll be in the play-ins.”
That explains why the image of Curry and Butler went viral. Golden State’s season may depend on how long Curry can carry a short-handed roster before help arrives.
For a while, Golden State kept pace. Curry scored 16 of his 23 points in the first quarter, and the Warriors put up 33 in the opening period. Then Los Angeles locked in defensively. The Lakers outscored Golden State 36-16 in the third quarter and entered the final period ahead 102-68, stretching the lead to as many as 35 early in the fourth.
Walker Kessler’s Perfect Debut Set the Scene for Barkley’s Warriors Warning
The postgame discussion featured the panel reacting to Kessler’s performance and the Warriors’ prospects. In the ESPN segment discussing how good the Lakers can be after their win over Golden State, the panel highlighted the Lakers’ new lineup and the challenges facing their opponents.
Kessler was central to that conversation. In his Lakers debut, he went 12-for-12 from the field for 26 points and nine rebounds. Ten of his baskets were dunks, the most by a Laker since Shaquille O’Neal in 2003. Luka Doncic repeatedly found him around the rim on his way to 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in three quarters, sitting out the entire fourth. Austin Reaves added 23 points.
Shaq was especially impressed. “Walker Kessler is the best big man in the NBA. You heard it here and I’m not playing,” he declared. When Kenny asked whether Doncic belonged among the five best players in the world, O’Neal replied, “Yeah, of course.” And when Smith asked where the Lakers would finish this season, Shaq said quickly, fifth.
For Golden State, however, the conversation returned to the players who were unavailable. Butler tore his ACL in January, and ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported that a return in January or February was an optimistic target, not a confirmed date. His absence leaves the Warriors without one of their key offensive options for the opening stretch.
Kristaps Porziņģis is another uncertainty. He skipped training camp and all six preseason games while dealing with recurring symptoms of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, he is “seriously contemplating his future in the NBA,” and the Warriors have explored trade options. The team has declined to comment on the speculation but said it is “not anticipating Kristaps being around the team in the immediate future.”
That leaves Curry solely carrying the offense. He finished with 23 points in 21 minutes, but once the Lakers tightened up defensively, Golden State had no answer.
Barkley’s comment captured the central question facing Golden State: can the Warriors stay competitive until Butler and their other missing players return? The opener alone cannot determine their season, but it showed how difficult the road could be if Curry has to shoulder so much of the responsibility.