​The Los Angeles Lakers took the court at Crypto.com Arena to start their 2026-27 regular-season schedule by taking on the Golden State Warriors. As Luka Doncic made clear in an ad he took out in the Los Angeles Times, he wanted this game to be the start of a run toward the NBA championship, no matter what people around the league think of the Lakers’ prospects this season.Their first game this season was a definite success. The first quarter was competitive and ended with L.A. on top 34-33, but it started to take charge in the second quarter. It led 66-52 at halftime, and by outscoring the Warriors 36-16 in the third quarter, it put things out of reach, allowing it to come away with a 127-105 victory.The Lakers shot 56.8% from the field, and as they often did during the preseason, they shared the ball well and looked to make the extra pass. Unlike in the last few seasons, they looked to push the pace and pitch the ball ahead in transition. They led 15-4 in fast-break points at halftime and ended up with a 21-17 advantage overall in that category.Defensively, they held Golden State to 41.3% field-goal shooting and 22.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Stephen Curry had 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the first quarter, but he did not make another basket the rest of the way.The Lakers’ next game will be against the crestfallen Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.Matisse Thybulle — CThybulle was in the Lakers’ starting lineup for this game, even though most people likely expected him to come off the bench. While he shot just 1-of-4 from the field and only had three points in 23 minutes, his defense on the perimeter was helpful. He had one steal and one block, and he should help the Lakers apply more pressure on the perimeter, which has been a big point of emphasis for them in their revamped defense.Ziaire Williams — B-plusSome did expect Williams to win a starting job, and sure enough, he was in the Lakers’ starting lineup on Wednesday. He made four of his seven shot attempts and one of his two 3-point attempts, giving him nine points, and he did a good job of running the floor in transition.On the other end of the floor, Williams came up with one steal. He also added three rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes.Walker Kessler — AThe most consequential of the nine new members of the Lakers’ roster, Kessler had about as outstanding a debut with them as a center could’ve. He made all 12 of his shot attempts, and he did an admirable job of hustling downcourt during transition opportunities as the trailer. When the Lakers didn’t have anything in transition, he positioned himself to get open near the hoop, and his teammates rewarded him by getting him the ball.Kessler also grabbed nine rebounds, and he blocked two shots in 30 minutes. His impact was felt otherwise, as he deterred Warriors players from penetrating toward the rim and forced them to bring the ball out instead. He didn’t even commit a single foul until the 7:25 mark of the fourth quarter.Overal