Golden State has already played. The Warriors dropped their opener to the Clippers 104-101 in Honolulu after a 32-19 2nd quarter put them down 12 at the half. They won both second-half quarters and still couldn't close the gap. The starting group was Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Yaxel Lendeborg, Draymond Green and Al Horford. Curry played only the first half, and Green and Horford also got reduced minutes. Curry played just 43 games last season because of a knee issue, and the Warriors are clearly handling him carefully.
The bigger issue for Golden State is who isn't playing. Jimmy Butler III is out with a knee injury, and the team hopes to have him back early in 2027. Moses Moody is still recovering from a ruptured left patellar tendon and has only progressed to light on-court work. Kristaps Porzingis is out indefinitely with what the team calls a private health matter. Draymond Green said his gut told him Porzingis would be starting. GM Mike Dunleavy said he doesn't expect Porzingis to miss the start of the regular season, only that he isn't available this week. That leaves Horford and the bigs behind him carrying the frontcourt for now.
That frontcourt is where Tuesday gets interesting. The Lakers just added Kessler and Looney, a rim protector and a former Warrior who knows Golden State's offense as well as anyone. They'll be playing a Warriors front line that is thin and leaning on a veteran on limited minutes. Lendeborg starting in the opener is another storyline worth watching. It shows the Warriors are giving their young wings real minutes while Butler and Moody are out.
Don't read too much into the final score. Curry's minutes, how much Doncic plays on the second night of a back-to-back and whether Porzingis is anywhere near the floor will all be decided close to tip. Still, this is the first Curry-Doncic matchup since the Lakers rebuilt, and it's the best tune-up on either team's October schedule.