SAN FRANCISCO — The Lakers built a 25-point lead behind Luka Dončić’s first-quarter scoring outburst Friday night, then watched it disappear before halftime.
A second-half push did little to change the outcome. Turnovers, limited bench production and a scoreless start to the fourth quarter sent Los Angeles to a 112-95 loss to the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in their NBA Cup opener.
Dončić scored 37 points with seven rebounds and five assists in his return after missing Wednesday’s win over the Clippers. Austin Reaves added 21 points, and Walker Kessler finished with 10 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks as the Lakers dropped to 4-2.
“We got to be better. We win together, we lose together,” Dončić said afterward while discussing the team’s developing chemistry.
The Lakers committed 22 turnovers, including eight by Reaves, and received just seven points from their reserves. Golden State’s bench scored 50, with De’Anthony Melton contributing 16 points and Georges Niang adding 11.
Those struggles offset a productive opening quarter in which Dončić scored 21 points, outscoring the Warriors by himself. The Lakers led 38-15 after the first, with all five starters scoring.
Reaves opened the second quarter with two free throws to extend the lead to 25, but the Lakers could not sustain their offense. Melton helped ignite Golden State’s comeback, and the Warriors outscored L.A. 38-15 in the period to tie the game at 53 entering halftime.
The Lakers responded after the break. Dončić, Reaves and Jake LaRavia helped restore a nine-point advantage, but Golden State erased that lead and moved ahead 85-80 entering the fourth.
The Warriors then scored 11 consecutive points to open the final period. L.A. went more than four minutes without scoring before Kessler split two free throws with 7:54 remaining, leaving the Lakers down 96-81.
They finished with just 15 fourth-quarter points, matching their second-quarter total.
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 31 points, making eight of 14 attempts from 3-point range. Brandin Podziemski added 21 points and four 3-pointers as the Warriors won their third straight game following an 0-3 start.
Golden State made 22 3-pointers, twice the Lakers’ total, to avenge its 127-105 opening-night loss in L.A.
Officiating was also a subject of the Lakers’ postgame interviews. Asked about the flopping calls and the explanation he received for a play involving Podziemski, coach JJ Redick questioned the consistency of the calls.
“The consistency, we’re just still searching,” Redick said.
The defeat followed Wednesday’s 103-87 win over the Clippers, when the Lakers leaned on their defense and received significant contributions from their reserves without Dončić.
On Friday, his scoring helped establish an early advantage, but the Lakers could not protect it.
L.A. returns home Sunday to face the Toronto Raptors after losing two of its past three games.