Warriors to open season at Lakers
The Warriors will take on some of the Western Conference’s top teams during opening week and on Christmas Day.
A showdown between the Warriors and Suns in Phoenix will highlight the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule, the league announced. In addition to taking on the Western Conference champions on the holiday, Golden State will open the 2021-22 season against the Los Angeles Lakers at 7 p.m. PT on Oct. 19 as part of Opening Night on TNT.
That game will be a rematch of May’s dramatic play-in game that saw LeBron James make a lastminute 3-pointer at Staples Center to seal a 103-100 win for the Lakers and send Golden State to a winnertake-all game against the Grizzlies. The Warriors lost that second play-in game and missed the playoffs entirely.
Although the Warriors have missed the postseason in each of the past two seasons, Stephen Curry and Co. continue to attract fans. At the time, the Curry-James matchup in the play-in game for the No. 7 seed drew the league’s highest TV ratings in two years. Fans hope Klay Thompson, who missed the past two seasons with injuries, is ready in time for the Christmas Day game.
It is the ninth straight appearance for the Warriors on Christmas, while this is Phoenix’s first appearance since 2009. The Suns, led by Chris Paul and Devin Booker, lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in last season’s Finals. They will play at Footprint Center at 2 p.m. PT on ABC.
Joining the Warriors and Suns on Christmas will be the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks (9 a.m. PT), Boston Celtics and Bucks (11:30 a.m. PT), Brooklyn Nets and Lakers (5 p.m. PT) and Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz (7:30 p.m. PT).
Warriors fall in final Summer League game
The Warriors completed their Summer League schedule with an 84-76 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday at Thomas & Mack Center, bringing to an end the first look at the team’s promising rookies.
Moses Moody, the 14th pick in last month’s draft, had 14 points, on 6 for 12 shooting, two rebounds and an assist as Golden State wrapped up its Las Vegas slate with a (2-3) record. Jonathan Kuminga, the seventh pick, did not play in the finale with a groin injury.