Lakers try to clear another hurdle in Oakland

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Los Angeles Lakers shocked the basketball world and will look for two in a row as they visit the Golden State Warriors for their season opener.

The Lakers, without Kobe Bryant, bumped off the vaunted Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday night 116-103. With Bryant still out nursing his surgically repaired Achilles tendon, the Lakers bench gave them a whopping 76 points.

Xavier Henry (22), Jordan Farmar (16), Jodie Meeks (13), Jordan Hill (12) and Chris Kaman (10) were awesome. Wesley Johnson played better than his 1-for-11 shooting night, too.

"They've been good," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said of his second unit. "They showed it in preseason and exhibition games. It gives them a different look. They turned the gas on."

Pau Gasol had 15 points and 13 rebounds and Nick Young chipped in 13 points. The other three starters - Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Shawne Williams - combined for 12 points.

Most didn't see good things for the Lakers this season, especially with Bryant on the shelf for an undetermined amount of time. Dwight Howard bolted for Houston, but the Lakers shot 48 percent from the three-point line on Tuesday.

Next up they travel to Oakland to meet a Warriors team ready for a big season.

After a first-round playoff upset of the Denver Nuggets, the Warriors battled the San Antonio Spurs in round two, but came up short. They reloaded in the offseason, signing Andre Iguodala to address the team's desperate need for a perimeter defender.

The team is led by Steph Curry. He is an All-Star in waiting and alongside Klay Thompson, established a new NBA record for most made three-pointers by a duo in a season with 483.

One question would be who would start for Golden State once the team signed Iguodala. Harrison Barnes exploded in the playoffs after starting all season, but on Tuesday, the team announced he'd miss the first two games with a foot injury.

However, Jackson announced Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, David Lee and Andrew Bogut would be the starting five.

"That's going to be our starting lineup moving forward," Jackson said. "Our responsibility is to maximize what we have."

Barnes will be the first guy off the bench when healthy. The team brought in veterans Jermaine O'Neal and Mo Speights to solidify the second unit, which lost huge contributors Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry in the offseason.

The Lakers have won seven of the last eight against the Warriors and nine of their previous 11 at Oracle Arena.