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Golden start for the Warriors! NBA champions begin title defense with a 123-109 win over Los Angeles Lakers, as Stephen Curry scores 33 points, while LeBron James ends with 31 points in the visitors’ opening day loss
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Stephen Curry opened the season with 33 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors defeated LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 123-109 on Tuesday night after receiving their championship rings at a pre-game ceremony.
Jordan Poole made a nice bouncing pass to a driving Draymond Green for a layup and all seemed perfectly fine with the defending champions nearly two weeks after Green Poole slammed into practice on October 5, after which he took a brief absence from the team to work on his emotions. Poole finished with 12 points and seven assists.
James had 31 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, while Russell Westbrook scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds after suffering a sore left hamstring.
Stephen Curry scored 33 points when the Golden State Warriors defeated the LA Lakers 123-109
Anthony Davis added 27 points, but the Lakers couldn’t keep up in another signature runaway third quarter by reigning NBA Finals MVP Curry and Co.
Klay Thompson contributed 18 points in 20 minutes for the Warriors, who celebrated the franchise’s fourth title in eight years.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr limited the minutes of both Thompson and Green, who was absent from the team until last Thursday.
Kerr said as a precaution he will increase Thompson’s minutes per game after returning in January after an absence of more than two and a half years due to surgery on his left knee and right Achilles tendon.
Warriors center James Wiseman made his first appearance since his 2019-20 rookie season after sitting all season last season and recovering from right knee surgery. He had eight points and seven rebounds.