# No LeBron, No Problem: Doncic Drops 28, Perfect Kessler Stuns as Lakers Rout Warriors Source: SportsBriefly (https://sportsbriefly.com) Canonical URL: https://sportsbriefly.com/en/basketball/no-lebron-no-problem-doncic-drops-28-perfect-kessler-stuns-as-lakers-rout-warrio Language: en Published: 2026-10-22T15:01:44.762+00:00 Updated: 2026-10-22T15:01:44.842518+00:00 > Walker Kessler went 12-for-12 with 10 dunks — the first Laker to do that since Shaq in 2003 — while Luka Doncic scored 28 with a halfcourt buzzer-beater as Los Angeles crushed Golden State 127-105 in its first game since LeBron James left for Philadelphia. ## TL;DR - Lakers rout Warriors 127-105 in their first game since LeBron James left for Philadelphia. - Walker Kessler goes a perfect 12-for-12 with 10 dunks in his Lakers debut — first Laker with 10 dunks since Shaq in 2003. - Luka Doncic scores 28 with a halfcourt buzzer-beater and a behind-the-back assist to Kessler. - Austin Reaves adds 23 as a new-look Big Three clicks; Curry held to 23 on a short-handed Warriors roster. ## Key points - Final: Lakers 127, Warriors 105 at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 21, 2026. - Kessler: 26 pts on 12-of-12 shooting, 9 reb, 2 blocks, 10 dunks; first perfect-on-12+ night by a Laker since Wilt Chamberlain (1969). - Doncic: 28 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast; hit a halfcourt bank shot at the halftime buzzer and took out a full-page LA Times ad before tipoff. - Shaquille O'Neal praised Kessler on Inside the NBA, calling him 'the best big man in the NBA' and nicknaming him 'Milk Chamberlain.' - Curry scored 23 (20 in first half) for a Warriors team missing Podziemski, Bassey, Butler, Moody and Porzingis. - The win opened the Lakers' post-LeBron era: nine new players after James signed with the 76ers in July. The Los Angeles Lakers needed one game to answer the biggest question of their season: what does life after LeBron James look like? On Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena, it looked like this — a 127-105 demolition of the Golden State Warriors, led by a superstar who already owns the franchise and a new center who turned his debut into a piece of team history. Luka Doncic scored 28 points with eight rebounds and seven assists, while Walker Kessler — acquired from the Utah Jazz in July — delivered a perfect 26 points on 12-for-12 shooting with nine rebounds and 10 dunks. The Lakers shot 63.2 percent in the first half, closed the second quarter on a 17-4 run, and led by as many as 35 in the second half. Golden State never threatened. ## A debut for the record books Kessler's night was historic: his 10 dunks made him the first Laker to reach that mark since Shaquille O'Neal in March 2003, and his perfect shooting night on at least 12 attempts was the first by a Laker since Wilt Chamberlain went 14-for-14 in 1969. Nearly every make came via alley-oop, and the Crypto.com Arena crowd gave him a standing ovation when he checked out with six minutes left. The performance earned a blessing from Lakers royalty on the spot. Speaking on Inside the NBA after the game, O'Neal crowned the 7-foot-2 center as "the best big man in the NBA" and issued a nickname for the ages: "Your new nickname is Milk Chamberlain. I love you, Milk." Moments later, O'Neal told Kessler directly: "I'm happy for you, I'm proud of you. Welcome to the big man alliance." Kessler, soaking it in, replied: "That means so much coming from you." ![Stephen Curry drives to the basket against the Los Angeles Lakers with Luka Doncic defending during an earlier Lakers-Warriors meeting at Crypto.com Arena.](https://dcwdppdscydjemfvownz.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1792681298567-eft5d8-basketball-inside1-2026-10-22-evening.webp) Kessler credited his teammates' vision for making the night look easy. "I'm extremely thankful," he said. "Playing with the guys we have on our team, I wish I could say it was really difficult, but they're just so good. Their court vision is insane." Of Doncic's behind-the-back feed for a third-quarter dunk right through Draymond Green's defense, Kessler added: "He's just wicked smart. His basketball IQ is crazy, and I think he recognized I was running the floor... He just found me." The Lakers paid a steep price to land him this summer — two unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 plus pick swaps in 2028 and 2030, per USA Today. One night in, it already looks like money well spent. Asked about his nonstop motor after practice on Tuesday, Kessler grinned: "Contrary to my name, I run a lot." ## Doncic's statement night The franchise cornerstone — the Lakers' future since arriving from Dallas in February 2025 — set the tone with a full-page Los Angeles Times advertisement before tipoff: "Tonight we start our run for a championship." Then he backed it up. Doncic capped the first half with a high-arcing bank shot from near halfcourt at the buzzer, giving him 23 points in just 18 minutes. He answered chirping from Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg — who picked up a technical late in the second quarter after the two exchanged words — with swagger after the game: "Everybody knows when somebody starts talking, you got a different me." On the night as a whole, he said: "It was just how everybody played. I think first quarter our defense wasn't that good, but then after that we just locked in and I think everybody had fun." Austin Reaves rounded out a new-look Big Three with 23 points, going a perfect 10-for-10 from the line. Jake LaRavia and Quentin Grimes added 10 apiece, and Doncic's behind-the-back feed to Kessler — past Draymond Green — drew instant comparisons to "Showtime"-era Magic Johnson. ## A depleted Warriors roster Stephen Curry kept Golden State in it early, scoring 16 of the Warriors' first 21 points and 20 of his 23 by halftime. But the 38-year-old guard managed just three points in a decisive third quarter — won 36-16 by the Lakers — and sat out the entire fourth as Los Angeles stretched its lead to 102-68. The Warriors were badly undermanned. Brandin Podziemski missed the game with lower back soreness and Charles Bassey sat out with knee tendinitis. Worse, the absences aren't going away: Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler are out until January with knee injuries, while Kristaps Porzingis is sidelined indefinitely with a health issue. Brandon Williams (14 points), Gui Santos and Lendeborg (12 apiece) and Gary Payton II (10) provided what little offense there was behind Curry. ## Life after LeBron This was the first Lakers game since four-time NBA MVP James left as a free agent to join the Philadelphia 76ers — the latest chapter in an offseason of upheaval that also included a sale of the franchise. With nine new players, the new core clicked immediately. Even the garbage time told a story. With the result long decided, the crowd began chanting "We want Bronny," and coach JJ Redick obliged, sending James's 22-year-old son Bronny James into the game late in the fourth quarter. The arena erupted when the younger James hit a floater in the lane to make it 127-100. One game is a sample size, not a season. But with Doncic's showmanship, Kessler's history-making debut and Reaves fitting seamlessly as a third option, the Lakers' new era began exactly the way the franchise needed — no LeBron, no problem. ![Walker Kessler throws down a dunk for the Utah Jazz before his July 2026 trade to the Los Angeles Lakers.](https://dcwdppdscydjemfvownz.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1792681301336-ogh153-basketball-inside2-2026-10-22-evening.jpg) Mentions: Luka Doncic, Walker Kessler, Austin Reaves, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Draymond Green, JJ Redick, Steve Kerr, Yaxel Lendeborg, Bronny James, Rob Pelinka, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, NBA ## Sources - [reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/luka-doncic-lakers-open-with-dominant-win-vs-stephen-curry-warriors--flm-2026-10-22/) - [reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/no-lebron-no-problem-lakers-blow-out-warriors-open-season-2026-10-22/) - [usatoday.com](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/lakers/2026/10/22/lakers-walker-kessler-luka-doncic/92375508007/) - [essentiallysports.com](https://www.essentiallysports.com/nba-active-basketball-news-walker-kessler-matches-shaquille-oneals-twenty-three-year-old-feat-in-lakers-debut-as-la-fans-give-him-standing-ovation/) - [philstar.com](https://www.philstar.com/sports/2026/10/22/2564998/lukas-lakers-rout-warriors-edwards-scores-45-twolves-spoil-giannis-heat-debut)