Warriors Survive Shorthanded, Stun Lakers 101-89 in LA

The Lakers laid an egg at home, falling 101-89 to a Warriors squad that was supposedly running on fumes. DarkHorse's Lakers -3.5 pick crashed and burned, and the original reasoning now reads like a comedy of errors—turns out those injury concerns were about as real as a preseason depth chart written in disappearing ink.

Golden State controlled this wire-to-wire, never trailing after the opening minutes and building a lead that peaked in double digits during the third quarter. The Warriors' defense clamped down on LA's perimeter game, holding the Lakers to ugly shooting splits while Stephen Curry orchestrated the offense with typical efficiency. Whatever roster holes were supposed to doom Golden State never materialized—the supporting cast showed up, hit open looks, and played disciplined basketball.

Meanwhile, the Lakers sputtered offensively despite having their projected stars available. The vaunted scoring profile from last season's efficiency numbers was nowhere to be found. LA couldn't generate quality looks, couldn't defend without fouling, and couldn't string together the kind of run needed to erase Golden State's cushion.

Final tally: Warriors 101, Lakers 89. DarkHorse's -3.5 Lakers pick missed by a country mile—a 12-point loss when you needed a four-point win. Availability means nothing if you can't execute, and LA simply didn't show up when it mattered.