Good morning. Opening night couldn’t have gone much better in Los Angeles. Walker Kessler went 12-for-12, mostly on alley-oops, and Luka Dončić sat the whole fourth quarter of a 127-105 win over Golden State. At Intuit Dome, Darius Garland scored 30 and the Clippers beat Sacramento 121-96. Both teams are 1-0 and play each other Friday. The Angels declined Kurt Suzuki’s option after a 100-loss season. Tonight is all hockey on the road: Ducks at New Jersey at 4, Kings at the Islanders at 4:30 and Vegas at St. Louis at 5. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🏀 12-for-12. Kessler scored 26 in his debut and the Lakers beat Golden State 127-105 — Carlos Yakimowich at Crypto.com Arena.
🏀 “Dear LA.” The letter Luka Dončić wrote before opening night — Eric Lambkins II.
🏀 30 for Garland. The Clippers beat Sacramento 121-96 in their opener — Colin Costigan at Intuit Dome.
⚾ Suzuki out. The Angels declined their manager’s option after a 62-100 season — Anthony Arroyo.
🏈 Third quarters. The Raiders have been outscored 38-9 in third quarters since Week 3 — Derek Hegna.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — WEDNESDAY
🏀 NBA: Lakers 127, Warriors 105 · Clippers 121, Kings 96
🏒 AHL: Firebirds 3, Gulls 2
🏀 TWELVE FOR TWELVE
Before the game, Luka Dončić wrote to the fans. “Tonight we start our run for a championship,” the letter began, and it promised “No excuses. No nights off.” Eric Lambkins II writes it set the tone for the season.
Then Walker Kessler set the tone for the game. He went 12-for-12 and scored 26 points with nine rebounds, and Carlos Yakimowich counts 11 dunks, mostly lobs. Dončić had 28 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, Austin Reaves had 23 and six assists, and the three of them scored 27 of the Lakers’ 34 first-quarter points.
It was 34-33 after one. The Lakers won the second quarter 32-19, and Dončić hit a half-court shot at the halftime buzzer. The lead got to 32 in the third and 35 in the fourth, and Dončić watched the fourth from the bench. Stephen Curry scored 16 of Golden State’s first 21 points and had seven after that.
“I definitely was a little nervous going into the game,” Kessler said. “Just so thankful and so grateful for how it went.” Dončić: “That’s just the first game. I think our ceiling is even higher.”
JJ Redick started Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle with the big three, with Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili first off the bench. Jake LaRavia rolled his ankle in the fourth and walked off on his own. The Clippers come to Crypto.com Arena on Friday.
GO DEEPER
› Carlos Yakimowich: Walker Kessler delivers in debut as Lakers punish Warriors on opening night (The Sporting Tribune)
› Eric Lambkins II: The letter that will set the tone for the Lakers this season (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Lakers defeat Warriors, 127-105, in Los Angeles (The Sporting Tribune)
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🏀 41 IN THE FIRST
The Clippers scored 41 in the first quarter. Colin Costigan writes that Sacramento closed the half on a 25-14 run and cut it to five in the third, and then the Clippers made eight of 13 shots, pushed the lead to 18 and held the Kings to 14 points the rest of the quarter. Darius Garland scored 30 on 11-of-19 shooting. Brook Lopez had 17 points and 11 rebounds in his new backup center role, and rookie Keaton Wagler had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. The Clippers shot 52% and 40% from three.
Tyronn Lue said Garland “set the tone early” and “did a really good job of orchestrating that second half.” For Sacramento, Zach LaVine scored 28 and Domantas Sabonis had 18 rebounds. The Clippers play the Lakers on Friday at 7.
GO DEEPER
› Colin Costigan: Clippers dethrone the Sacramento Kings in regular-season opener (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Clippers defeat Kings, 121-96, at Intuit Dome (The Sporting Tribune)
⚾ THE ANGELS START OVER
The Angels declined Kurt Suzuki’s option after one season and a 62-100 record, Anthony Arroyo reports. They reportedly offered him a special assistant role. Suzuki, the first Hawaii-born full-time manager in the majors, took over from Ron Washington with no prior coaching experience.
The next manager will be hired with the new owners. The club said the search will be “in coordination with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.” Stan Kroenke’s group agreed to buy a controlling stake from Arte Moreno, reportedly for $4 billion including the regional sports network, and the deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027.
GO DEEPER
› Anthony Arroyo: Angels decline Kurt Suzuki’s managerial option (The Sporting Tribune)
🍔 THE DEALS BOARD
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🏟️ THREE GAMES, ONE THURSDAY
Ducks at Devils at 4 on Prime Video. The Ducks are 4-5-0, have lost four straight and are 0-for-10 on the power play over their last three games.
Kings at Islanders at 4:30 on ABTV. The Kings got their first win Tuesday in Washington and are 1-4-2. Quinton Byfield left that game early with an upper-body injury.
Golden Knights at Blues at 5 on ESPN+. Vegas is 8-3 after Tuesday’s 6-2 home loss to Tampa Bay.
Friday: Clippers at Lakers. Saturday: Michigan State at UCLA, USC at Wisconsin, Ducks at Flyers, Knights at Blue Jackets. Sunday: El Tráfico, and Rams at Raiders.
📌 AROUND THE MARKETS
“Close. Games. Out.” Derek Hegna writes that the Raiders have been outscored 38-9 in third quarters since Week 3, and their defense has forced one turnover in three games after forcing nine in the first three. Kirk Cousins has been running drills that simulate halftime. The Rams come to Allegiant Stadium next.
USC’s defense heads to Camp Randall. Holdenn Graff writes that the Trojans are bringing the composure from their win at Penn State to Wisconsin, where quarterback Colton Joseph has run for 333 yards this season. Defensive end Luke Wafle was named a midseason true freshman All-American. “Every great defense has really good red zone defense,” defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren said.
Fantasy Week 7. James Newell has start-’em, sit-’em picks at quarterback, running back, receiver and tight end.
GO DEEPER
› Derek Hegna: The message of closing out games came through loud and clear for Raiders (The Sporting Tribune)
› Holdenn Graff: The USC defense brings its Penn State composure to Camp Randall (The Sporting Tribune)
› James Newell: Week 7 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Fantasy Quarterbacks (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Firebirds defeat Gulls, 3-2, in San Diego (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22
🏒 NHL: Ducks at Devils — Prudential Center — 4:00 p.m. — Prime Video
🏒 NHL: Kings at Islanders — UBS Arena — 4:30 p.m. — ABTV
🏒 NHL: Golden Knights at Blues — Enterprise Center — 5:00 p.m. — ESPN+
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii— brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.
🏀 Clippers at Lakers — Crypto.com Arena (Friday) — $62
🏈 Michigan State at UCLA — Rose Bowl (Saturday) — $38
⚽ El Tráfico, Galaxy vs. LAFC (Sunday) — $100
🌴 TST TRIVIA
Kurt Suzuki won a World Series as a player in 2019. With which team?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
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Trivia answer: The Washington Nationals.
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