The Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-109 in the 2022-23 NBA regular season opener at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, on Tuesday.

The Warriors received their championship rings before the game started. The ring features 43 baguettes in the bridge, representing Stephen Curry's 43-point scoring performance in Game 4 of the NBA Finals last season; 16 carats of yellow and white diamonds, which represent the 16 playoff wins the Warriors secured; and seven carats of yellow cushion-cut diamonds on the bezel, signifying the seventh title of the team in franchise history.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had said before the game that his "starters aren't ready to play 30+ minutes. Until they are, Golden State will lean on its depth." He almost matched his commitment as Curry was the only member of the starting lineup to play longer than 30 minutes in Tuesday's game.

The Warriors gave their youngsters, namely James Wiseman and Johnathan Kuminga, more than enough time in the first two quarters, with little effect. Kuminga kept misusing his athleticism and made a series of bad calls when he had the ball; Wiseman worked hard to integrate himself into the team's system, but his choice of defensive positioning as well as finishing ability were still not good enough to make positive contributions.

The Warriors' two new arrivals, Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green, both played over 20 minutes in the season opener. DiVincenzo obviously still lacks coordination with the rest of the team, which was reflected in his failed passes and four turnovers. Green did much better because his role is much simpler. Not only did he make two of his three attempts from downtown, he also grabbed five offensive rebounds, more than anyone else on the court.

When the Warriors allowed their rookies and new members to get reps, the game appeared even. However, when the Warriors' starters stepped on the court, they tore the Lakers' defense apart like it was made of thin paper.

For example, Curry shot 1-for-6 in the first quarter and missed all of his first four triples. Nonetheless, he made four shots under the rim and four free throws to get 12 points in the second quarter and drained four 3-pointers in the second half. Andrew Wiggins only had four, three and four points respectively in the first, second and third quarters, but when the Lakers closed in quickly in the fourth quarter, he made three triples to hold the team's ground.

The Warriors' 27-point lead in the third quarter would not have been possible without the consecutive jumpers of Klay Thompson, rebounds of Kevon Looney and orchestrating of Draymond Green. The veterans' dominance made up for the under-performance of their younger teammates and helped Golden State regain confidence. 

As for the Lakers, Tuesday's loss was more painful than the score could show. The team made many signings during the offseason, but none of them seemed to work as expected against the Warriors. The purple and gold were one of the league's worst 3-point shooting teams last season, knocking down 10-for-40 from downtown in the season opener, not to mention that three came from LeBron James and three came from Kendrick Nunn during garbage time.

The Lakers were also in the NBA's bottom 10 on the defensive front last season. On Tuesday night, they allowed 123 points by the Warriors, who shot only 45.5 percent from the field. The Lakers have too many guard-size players on their roster. As a result, they often seemed smaller than the Warriors on the court and had to watch Thompson and Wiggins shoot over defenders without being able to deflect their shots.

Though the Lakers' big three – LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook – combined for 77 points, 31 rebounds and 11 assists, there were not able to slow the team down from crumbling. James was still sharp in penetrating and charging the paint, but his teammates kept failing to make the open shots he created, and that included Anthony Davis. Westbrook made more rational calls than usual, but he was never on the same page as the other two.

Though it was only the first game of the season, the Lakers' performance made it look like there are only more losses like this to come.

76ers had the Harden they wanted, but Embiid was 'gone'

The Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Boston Celtics 126-117 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, earlier on Tuesday.

James Harden, who seemed to have finally shaken off injury and be in better shape, was the best-performing 76er in this game with 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. After drawing fouls on three 3-pointers, and shooting 8-for-8 for 16 points in the first quarter, the Harden who won consecutive NBA scoring titles with the Houston Rockets seemed to have returned.

However, the best Harden the 76ers have ever seen didn't have Joel Embiid in his best form to pair with. Despite a 26-point, 15-rebound double-double, Embiid shared the team's worst plus/minus of -13 with De'Anthony Melton. He backed off in front of the Celtics' aggressive defensive attitude after they trapped him without any hesitation every time he posted up in the first quarter.

Embiid was used to being double-teamed during his NBA career, and that's why he developed the ability to shoot off the dribble from high posts last season to expand his range. However, as Tuesday's game went on, Embiid moved further from the paint and attempted more shots from deep. Unfortunately, he doesn't share the dribble penetration or 3-point shooting skills of Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns. Not only did Embiid shoot 1-for-6 from downtown, he also committed six turnovers, more than anyone of the court.

Embiid failed to exploit the Celtics' interior vulnerability, but that was not the only reason behind Philly's loss on Tuesday. While four of the 76ers' starters scored in double-digits, their bench unit was completely outmatched by their Celtics counterparts in scoring (11-34), rebounds (1-10) and assists (2-6).

On the Celtics' side, their star duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had dominant offensive performances, combining to score 70 points. Both were unstoppable in fast-break situations and used teammates' screens to hit the 76ers in the weakest spot: Embiid's limited defensive coverage.

Though the Celtics missed their best rim protector Robert Williams in Tuesday's game, the rest of the team's big men stood out defensively. Al Horford, Grant Williams, Noah Vonley and Blake Griffin kept the team from being destroyed by Embiid in the interior. Meanwhile, Grant Williams made surprising offensive contributions by shooting 5-for-5 from the field, including making all three shots from downtown.