After all those thrilling NBA Finals battles of the past decade, Stephen Curry and LeBron James can still put on a spectacular show well into their 30s.
Opening night between these two greats showed why Curry’s team is on top these days.
Curry began the season with 33 points, seven assists and six rebounds despite a slow start, as the Golden State Warriors beat James and the Los Angeles Lakers 123-109 on Tuesday night after receiving their championship rings in a pre-game ceremony.
Photo: AFP
“I’m thrilled with the win,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Ring night is never an easy game and the first game of the season is usually filled with some nerves early on.”
Jordan Poole made a pretty bounce pass to a driving Draymond Green for a layup and all seemed perfectly well with the defending champions almost two weeks after Green punched Poole at practice on Oct. 5, then took a brief leave of absence from the team to work on his emotions. Poole wound up with 12 points and seven assists.
“We went out there, we had a job to do tonight to win a game,” Poole said when asked if him and Green had patched things over. “It was a ring night and that’s really what we were focused on finishing the first game. It was a huge win against a really good team.”
James had 31 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, while Russell Westbrook scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds after nursing a sore left hamstring. Anthony Davis added 27 points, but the Lakers could not keep up in another signature, runaway third quarter by reigning NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Curry and Co.
“That third quarter is where they always excelled, when they made this transition to being a powerhouse team,” James said. “You’ve always got to be ready for the third quarters, and we were not tonight.”
Curry missed his initial five three-pointers and finished 10 for 22, four of 13 from deep.
Klay Thompson contributed 18 points in 20 minutes for the Warriors, who celebrated the franchise’s fourth title in eight years.
“It’s really fun to be a part of, it’s really fun to watch,” Poole said. “These guys have played at the highest level over and over and over again.”
In Tuesday’s other opening-night game, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 35 points each as the Boston Celtics brushed off their pre-season woes with a 126-117 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Additional reporting by AFP
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