Jimmy Butler’s Golden State Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, and the champion OKC Thunder defeated the Rockets on Ring Night.
Published October 22, 2025
Jimmy Butler scored 31 points and Stephen Curry added 23 points as the visiting Golden State Warriors opened the season with a 119-109 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Jonathan Kuminga scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Warriors, and Buddy Hield also scored 17 points, leading the Warriors to take control with an 18-4 scoring burst into the second half.
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Golden State made 17 of 40 (42.5 percent) 3-pointers, with Kuminga making 4 of 6 from long range and Hield 5 of 10. Curry made 3 of 9 3-point shots.
Luka Doncic had 43 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in his first season opener with the Lakers after being traded from the Dallas Mavericks in February. Austin Reaves totaled 26 points and nine assists for Los Angeles.
Deandre Ayton scored 10 points in his Lakers debut, and Los Angeles made 8 of 32 3-pointers (25 percent) but missed 11 of 28 free throw attempts. The Warriors made 26-of-29 from the free-throw line, and Butler made 16-of-16.
Lakers star LeBron James missed the first season opener of his 23-year NBA career due to sciatica.
The Warriors turned a one-point halftime lead into a 73-58 advantage less than five minutes into the second half. Golden State led 90-79 in the third quarter, giving Kuminga a 13-point lead in the period.
The Lakers’ Rui Hachimura hit a 3-pointer to start a 9-0 run that cut Los Angeles’ lead to 105-99 with 3:59 left.
Draymond Green made a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 108-99 lead, and Butler made a reverse layup to take a 110-100 lead with 2:29 left. Curry sank a 3-pointer with 51.2 seconds left to seal the victory.
Green had eight points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
The Lakers trailed for much of the first half, but took a 16-5 lead to take a 51-50 advantage. The Warriors led 55-54 at the break.
Doncic led all scorers with 22 points in the first half, while Butler led the Warriors with 17 points. Golden State made 16 of 18 from the free throw line in the first half, while Los Angeles made 9 of 16.
Thunder defends Open title with victory over Rockets
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, including two from the free throw line with 2.3 seconds left in double overtime, as the Oklahoma City Thunder held on for a 125-124 home victory over the Houston Rockets in the opener.
Before the game, Oklahoma City’s championship flag was hung in the rafters and players were presented with championship rings from last year’s title run.
The Thunder and Rockets then engaged in a back-and-forth game, with big plays from Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren in Oklahoma City and similar big plays from Alperen Sengan and Kevin Durant in Houston.
In the end, it was Gilgeous-Alexander who had the final big moment.
Sengan put the Rockets ahead by one point with a driving finger roll off a feed from Durant with 11 seconds left, then Gilgeous-Alexander drove to the basket and drew a foul on Durant.
The foul was Durant’s sixth and ended his Rockets debut.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who had previously missed 4 of 12 free throws, made both foul shots to put Oklahoma City ahead. Jabari Smith Jr.’s come-from-behind shot at the buzzer missed the target, giving the Thunder the victory.
Holmgren, who fouled out in the first overtime, had 28 points and seven rebounds.
Sengun sank a career-high five 3-pointers and finished with 39 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Durant scored 23 points and pulled down nine boards.
