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October 14, 2026 at 1:33 PM UTC

Postgame Report

Warriors pull away from Lakers, 101-89, in preseason meeting

Golden State beat Los Angeles by 12 in a preseason game that began with questions about Walker Kessler's debut and the Warriors' lack of size.

Lakers vs. Warriors Preseason Preview: Battle of California in Las Vegas — Yahoo Sports
Lakers vs. Warriors Preseason Preview: Battle of California in Las Vegas — Yahoo Sports

The Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 101-89 on Tuesday night in a preseason game that had its most interesting questions settled before tip. The biggest one was whether Walker Kessler would finally make his Lakers debut. He had been trending that way since the morning.

Kessler missed the first three preseason games with a jammed left pinky. He took part in shootaround, which is usually a decent sign, though the team had not confirmed anything. For a center acquired to give Los Angeles size, rebounding and shot-blocking, even a cautious return would have been the most notable development of the night.

The matchup mattered because Golden State was short up front. Al Horford, the veteran center, did not travel with the team, so Draymond Green was expected to play the five next to rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. That lineup gave up size on paper, and Kessler was the sort of player who could make a team pay for it. The Warriors still finished 12 points clear, and a preseason night is not the place to read too much into how they did it.

The usual viewing guides went out ahead of the game, but they said little beyond the obvious. What the evening offered was a Lakers team still waiting to see its new center settle in and a Warriors team making do without its veteran big man. Golden State took the win, and both sides now have a few more nights of October to sort out what they have.

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