STEPHEN Curry recorded a triple-double and Nemanja Bjelica logged a double-double in his Golden State debut Tuesday night (Wednesday in Manila) as the Warriors stunned the host Los Angeles Lakers 121-114 on opening night.
Curry finished with a team-high 21 points despite 5-for-21 shooting, and added 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Jordan Poole poured in 20 points for the Warriors.
Golden State’s bench, led by Bjelica’s 15 points and 11 rebounds, outscored its Los Angeles counterparts 55-29 as the Warriors avenged a loss to the Lakers in the NBA’s new play-in tournament last season.
LeBron James led all scorers with 34 points and Anthony Davis had 33 for the Lakers, who were unable to flip the switch on the regular season after going 0-6 in the preseason.
The Lakers led by as many as 10 and were on top 90-89 after James’ 3-pointer with 9:37 to play before the Warriors took command for good with a nine-point run that opened a 98-90 advantage. Poole hit two hoops and Otto Porter Jr. sank a 3-pointer in the burst.
The Lakers got back within two on a pair of subsequent occasions, but both times Golden State countered immediately with a 3-pointer, the second time when Bjelica buried his only long-range attempt of the night.
Golden State went on to lead by as many as 12 before coasting home.
Bjelica signed with the Warriors as a free agent after having played last season for the Sacramento Kings and Miami Heat.
Damion Lee (15 points) and Andre Iguodala (12) also contributed double figure scoring as reserves for Golden State, while starter Andrew Wiggins also chipped in with 12 points.
Poole shot 4-for-11 on 3-point attempts, hitting two more than perennial NBA trey champ Curry, who went just 2-for-8 from long distance.
In the other game, Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 32 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists as the Milwaukee Bucks opened defense of their second NBA championship with a 127-104 victory over the visiting Brooklyn Nets, in a matchup many think will comprise the Eastern Conference finals.
Before the game, the Bucks unveiled their championship banner and celebrated their first title since 1971 by handing out rings consisting of 360 diamonds (total wins under this ownership) and 4.14 carats of emeralds (representing Milwaukee’s area code).
On the four-month anniversary of Milwaukee eliminating the Nets in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Brooklyn, Antetokounmpo dominated. The NBA finals MVP shot 12 of 25 from the field and converted 7 of 9 free throw attempts in 30:57 before leaving to a standing ovation late in the fourth quarter. — Field Level Media
