Tag: Stephen Curry

Kings crushed by Golden State 120-101

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NBA: Sacramento Kings at Golden State Warriors
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

By Charlie O. Mallonee

There are three tiers in the NBA. The first tier includes the Warriors, Cavs, Spurs, Heat and Clippers – teams that are battling for titles. The second tier teams are fighting for the bottom two playoff spots in their respective divisions. The third tier teams are spending their off-season trying to figure out who they are going to draft in the lottery.

The first tier team known as the Golden State Warriors played the third tier Sacramento Kings on Saturday night and the results were predictable. The Warriors crushed the Kings 120-101 and improved to 18-0 on the season. The loss dropped the Kings to 6-12 after 18 games.

To be fair, the Kings did have to play without the services of their All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins (strained lower back). That is 27 points and “a whole lotta” defense up the middle that was not available to Sacramento for this game. Cousins has missed both games with Golden State this season, and it is not a coincidence that the Kings have lost both games.

The Warriors did put on their usual spectacular offensive show, but they also played outstanding basketball on the defensive end as well. The Warriors held the Kings shooters to just 39-percent (39-for-101) for the game. The Kings had to take 100 shots to score 101 points. You cannot win in the NBA with that shooting to scoring ratio.

The Warriors scored 120 points and took only 80 shots from the floor. Golden State was deadly from behind the 3-point line hitting on 16-of-30 (53.3-percent) attempts. They also made 31 trips to the free throw line and converted 26 of those attempts (83.9-percent).

Kings

Rudy Gay had a better night but not a great game against the Warriors. Gay was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points. He had to take 20 shots (7-for-20) to post those 20 points. Gay is playing hard but seems have lost his smooth shooting touch for the moment.

Kosta Koufos gave a great effort as he tried to fill the shoes left open by the lack of DeMarcus Cousins in the game. Koufos knows what he can do on the floor and he does it well. He scored 14 points and had seven rebounds in 22 minutes of playing time. Koufos had sit out much the second quarter with foul trouble.

Rajon Rondo had a quiet night scoring seven points and dishing out seven assists. It is tough to create assists when your players cannot get open or make baskets.

Omri Casspi – who was starter in the game – finished with 11 points going 3-for-10 from the floor. All three of his successful attempts were 3-point baskets.

Marco Belinelli was unable to provide a scoring punch off the bench. He scored just five points and was 0-for-7 from behind the 3-point line.

Seth Curry provided some entertainment for the crowd during “garbage time”. Curry scored nine points shooting 3-for-3 from downtown.

Warriors

Stephen Curry was the Warriors leading scorer with 19 points in 29 minutes of playing time. Curry did not play in the fourth quarter. He shot 3-for-6 from long range and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.

Brandon Rush put up 16 points getting the start in place of the injured Harrison Barnes.

Klay Thompson added 15 points shooting 6-for-10 including three 3s in 26 minutes on the floor.

Draymond Green (13), Festus Ezeli (11) and Marreese Speights (13) all scored in double-figures.

Golden State shot 48.8-percent from the floor going 39-for-80. They hit 16-of-30 3-point shots. The Warriors had 32 assists and just 14 turnovers in the contest.

What they said after the game

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a better shooting team or better passing team in my whole career coaching. You give them an opportunity or you give them a mistake – they find it with the pass. A lot of times they find it with the 3-ball,” said Kings head coach George Karl.

“I’m going to write this off as an injury loss. Their defense without Cuz (DeMarcus Cousins) limit our options or somewhat limited our options to be successful. And, we didn’t finish a lot of easy shots early in the first half. I thought our shots were pretty good in the first half. In the second half, making the 3-ball got out of control and you over-react to the 3-ball and give up the layup. When you over-react to the layup you give up the 3-ball. They are team that has that genius. I don’t if they even made a mid-range jump shot,” added Karl.

Up next

The Kings will host the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. Sacramento is hoping to have Cousins back in the lineup to face the Mavs. Dallas defeated the Nuggets 92-81 on Saturday night at home.

The Warriors kick off a 7-game road trip in Utah on Monday night.

The Warriors trounce the Lakers, Make NBA History

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The magic continues. The Golden State Warriors made NBA history Tuesday night as the won the sixteenth game in a row to establish a new record for the best start by a team. The Warriors broke the record by a defending champion starting a season when they won their fifteenth game in a row Sunday night in Denver. Tuesday night, they broke the record shared by the  1948-49 Washington Capitals and the 1993-94 Houston Rockets. Those teams started the season 15-0. Never in the seventy-year history of the NBA has a team started the season 16-0. Not the Boston Celtics or the Los Angeles Lakers or the Chicago Bulls. All those teams were great, but none of them ever did what the Warriors accomplished this season. The Warriors routed the lowly Los Angeles Lakers 111-77 at the Oracle Arena. The once-mighty LA Lakers were no match for the vastly superior Dubs. The tables have turned. The Lakers owned the Warriors for years. The Lakers, second in the NBA, with multiple championships to their credit,  have literally gone from the penthouse to the outhouse. The Dubs, on the other hand, are the toast of the NBA. They are fun to watch. The Dubs play the basketball the right way. They have no egos. They share the ball. They run the court, find the open man. They rebound. They are, in the opinion of many, the class of the NBA. In addition, they want to be better than the were last year and all they did last year was win the NBA Championship.

The Lakers starting five was made up of Julius Randle, Roy Hibbert, Kobe Bryant, D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson. Their aging superstar, Bryant, is having a subpar season so far. Bryant came into the game averaging sixteen points a game. He had, however, one of the worst games of his career. He hit just one field goal in fourteen tries and scored just four points in the game to match a career low. Injuries to his ankle, knee and shoulder have affected his play. Looks like it may be his last season. It is his twentieth season in the league and he has reached the advanced basketball age of thirty-seven.

The game was actually close for the first 3 minutes and twelve seconds of the first period. The score was tied at five at that point. The Warriors never trailed. The increased the lead to 8-5 and then went on a 15-0 run. The first period ended with the Warriors up by nineteen. The score at the end of one period was 30-11. The Dubs defense thwarted the Lakers at every turn. Draymond Green scored twelve to lead the Dubs.

In the second period, the Lakers played better and actually outscored the Warriors 27-24 but trailed 54-38 at the end of the half. It was the fewest amount of points in any half this year for the Lakers. The Lakers’ Lou Williams scored ten points to lead the Lakers. The Warriors had nineteen assists on   the twenty-two field goals made. This stat indicated how well the Dubs moved the ball and how well they found the open man.

The Warriors blew the game open in the third period. They scored thirty-five and held the Lakers to seventeen. The Warriors had an 11-0 run as Steph and Company blew away the Lakers. Interim coach, Luke Walton decided to keep Steph, Klay, Bogut, Green and Harrison Barnes on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. Final score 111-77.

Game Notes- Steph Curry tallied twenty-four points for the night. He hit four three-point shots and had nine assists. Draymond added eighteen, Klay had eleven and Leandro Barbosa, coming off the bench, had thirteen.

After the game, Steph had this to say when, if ever, did he think the Dubs would lose. Steph couldn’t really answer tat question but he said this about the team ” we play at a high level every night.” He also said this about setting the record “there have been a lot of great players in the league and no one has accomplished what this team did tonight.” Not Bill Russell, not Wilt Chamberlain, not Jerry West, not Larry Bird, not Magic Johnson, not Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and not Michael Jordan.

The Warriors will try to make it 17-0 Friday night. They travel to Phoenix to play the Suns.

CongratulationsGolden State Warriors Point Guard Stephen Curry in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to the Dubs for a record-setting performance.

 

 

 

 

Warriors tie franchise-best 9-0 start with win in Memphis

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

MEMPHIS, Tenn — Anchored by league MVP Stephen Curry’s 28 points, the Golden State Warriors tied a franchise-best 9-0 to start a season (held by the 1960-61 Philadelphia Warriors), with a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies 100-84 Wednesday night at FedEx Forum.

Andre Iguodala scored 20 points and Harrison Barnes added 19 points for Golden State, who shot 41 percent (11-of-27) from 3-point range. Curry, who is human after all, shot just 9-of-21 from the floor (3-of-10 on 3s).

Marc Gasol finished with 26 points and seven rebounds, while Zach Randolph scored 19 points and seven rebounds for a Memphis team that has dropped their fourth straight game.

Golden State destroyed Memphis 119-69 on Nov. 2 in Oakland, the worst loss for the Grizzlies in franchise history.

Golden State, who built a 15-point first-half lead, got bullied in the post by Randolph in the third quarter, allowing the bruising power forward to score 12 points in the quarter pulling Memphis to a 55-53 deficit.

But the Curry and the Warriors, who looked sloppy at times committing 23 turnovers, had other plans.

Curry knocked down a 40-footer at the horn to end the third quarter, giving the Warriors a 74-63 lead. Curry, who also drilled a 62-footer in Game 6 of the Western Conference semi-finals that sent Golden State to the conference finals, also added five assists and five rebounds.

Back-to-back 3s from Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in the fourth quarter proved to be difference maker for Golden State, who found themselves up 86-71 with 6:29 left.

The Warriors (9-0) seems to have the Grizzlies (3-6) number after picking up their sixth victory in seven regular season games Wednesday night.

Golden State continues its back-to-back road trip Thursday in Minneapolis, while Memphis hosts Portland Friday.

In the battle of Northern California the Kings lose to the Warriors 103-94

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Rocky Widner/NBAE
Rocky Widner/NBAE

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento – The Sacramento Kings had to face the undefeated Golden State Warriors without DeMarcus Cousins and Darren Collison on Saturday night. The result should have a very predictable “blow out” by the Warriors, but it was not walk over win for the defending NBA Champions.

Golden State defeated the Sacramento Kings 103 to 94. It was a two-point game with four minutes to go in the contest. No one – Warriors fans or Kings fans – could believe this game was so close at the end.

The Kings played tough, hard-nosed basketball, but in the end, the talent of Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Green and Iguodala proved to be too much for Sacramento to handle with a short-handed team.

Frankly, the Warriors came out flat or overlooking the Kings in the first half. The Kings took an early lead in the first period and held that lead until the 3:35 mark in the quarter. Golden State stepped up their play with scoring from former King Jason Thompson, Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala. The Warriors established a 20 to 14 lead after one quarter. Most people in the building expected them to just continue to stretch that lead in the second period.

Golden State did open up a 14-point lead with scoring from Klay Thompson (8), Iguodala (4) and Marreese Speights (4). Just as the game appeared to be headed for a runaway, the Kings came back with a 3-point basket from Marco Belinelli. Belinelli was then fouled attempting a 3-pointer and converted three free throws to cut the Warrior lead to eight.

At the half, Golden State led the Kings 46 to 38.

Sacramento came out strong in the third quarter as center Kosta Koufos scored six unanswered points. The Kings cut the Warrior lead to one on a Koufos lay-up at the 7:31 mark. Sacramento then took the lead when Belinelli sank another 3-point basket from 25-feet out. Golden State then went on 12-0 run that again threatened to put the Kings away. Again the Kings – led by Belinelli – closed the gap to four points. After three quarters, the Warriors led the Kings 72 to 68.

The Kings continued to keep the game close early in the fourth quarter. Sacramento took the lead 79 to 78 on a Rajon Rondo 19-foot jump shot with 6:37 to play. The game stayed close until the Warriors opened up a 10-point lead with under two minutes to play. The teams traded baskets and fouls, but the Kings were unable to find that something extra to propel them back into the game.

The Warriors defeated the Kings by nine points, 103 to 94.

Kings

Marco Belinelli on Saturday night showed why the Kings signed him to a 3-year contract. He scored 22 points shooting 5-for-11 from the floor. The Italian sharp-shooter was 3-for-6 from 3-point range. He went 9-for-10 from the free throw line. Twice Belinelli converted 3-point plays from the charity stripe after being fouled in the act of shooting a 3-pointer.

Rudy Gay stepped up for Sacramento against the Warriors. He shot 10-for-25 from the field scoring 22 points for his team. Gay showed an aggressiveness that George Karl would like to see more of on a nightly basis.

Rajon Rondo handled the point for 44 minutes against Golden State. With Darren Collison inactive due to a hamstring issue, Rondo was the only point guard on the floor for Sacramento. He put together a rare triple-double scoring 14 points, pulling down 12 rebounds and dishing out 15 assists. After the game Kings head coach George Karl said, “He knows how to do that, he has great history of leading teams and tonight he was very special.”

Center Kosta Koufos recorded a double-double scoring 12 points and hauling in 10 rebounds. Omri Casspi put up 10 points. Willie Cauley-Stein added six points with two nice finishes off lob passes under the basket.

The Kings shot .437 (38-for-87) from the field. They went 6-for-19 (.316) from 3-point range. The team continued to improve from the free throw line making 12 of 16 attempts (.750).

Sacramento turned the ball over 22 times which resulted in 29 Golden State points. The Kings were out-rebounded 46 to 45.

Warriors

Steph Curry led the Golden State scoring with 24 points. Curry scored 21 of those points in the second half of the game. He did not have a great game from beyond the 3-point line shooting just 2-for10 from long distance.

The much anticipated Curry versus Curry match up did not occur as Seth Curry did not play for the Kings. Seth Curry was nursing an ankle sprain coming into the game.

Klay Thompson put up 18 points shooting 7-for-16 from the floor and hitting on 4 of 11 3-point opportunities.

Harrison Barnes (13), Draymond Green (10), Festus Ezeli (10), and Andre Iguodala (14) all scored in double figures for the Warriors. Ezeli made it a double-double game by recording 12 rebounds.

As a team, Golden State shot .413 (38-for-92) from the field. They were a dismal .205 (8-for-39) from 3-point land. The Warriors were impressive at the free throw line converting 19 of 22 opportunities (.864).

The Warriors scored 19 points off second chance opportunities. The Kings scored nine second chance points.

What they said after the game

“It was a pretty impressive game, but they (Kings) have fought through four games in five nights. Obviously there was some fatigue there (shown by) our turnovers in the first half. They kept fighting. I thought our leader was Rondo. Rondo was incredibly into the game, incredibly intense. His defense on (Stephen) Curry was first class. I just wish we would have (had) more gas in the tank to finish off the game,” said Coach George Karl.

“There’s a lot of good we can take out of it (the game) as a team,” explained Rudy Gay. “But I think we’re overdue for a win – we need one bad. It’s another game I thought we could’ve had.”

“Our guys played hard and we knew it would be a tough game coming in,” said Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton.”Sacramento – they compete. Like I said before the game, they haven’t been winning a lot of games but they’ve been playing hard and (been) in the games. We couldn’t get out shots to go in tonight which happens but we found a way like you said to grind it out and come out with a victory.”

“Definitely not pretty but we overcame missed shots, turnovers, kind of a sluggish first half,” said Stephen Curry after the game. “With our defense, we gave ourselves an opportunity to have some minute runs. Pretty much had control of the game the whole way through. They made a decent run to take the lead by one in the fourth. Made some plays down the stretch and pulled it out. That defense allowed us to overcome a poor shooting night.”

Up next

The Kings have Sunday off, but their day of rest will be short lived. Sacramento will host the very talented San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. DeMarcus Cousins is expected to be available for that game.

The Warriors will also have Sunday off and return to action on Monday night hosting the Detroit Pistons.

Curry’s 31 points gives Warriors upper hand over Clippers

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND, Calif — In a game between the only undefeated teams in the Western Conference, Stephen Curry scored 31 points to lead keep the Golden State Warriors past their bitter rival, the Los Angeles Clippers 112-108 in front of a sellout crowd at Oracle Arena Wednesday night for their fifth straight win to begin the season.

“We’re better than we were last year,” said Curry after the game to ESPN’s J.A. Adande. Curry nailed 7-for-11 three-pointers, including the go-ahead three with a minute left to go.

Curry’s 25 made threes are the most made by a player in his first five games to start a season in NBA history. His 179 points are the most through five games since Michael Jordan’s 182 points during the 1991-92 season.

Golden State (5-0) overcame a 10-point lead with just a little over eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to Harrison Barnes who went on a 8-1 run in 38 seconds highlighted by his back-to-back threes. Barnes finished with 17 points and nine rebounds in a game that had a playoff-type atmosphere to it.

Klay Thompson scored 16 points and Festus Ezeli, starting for injured center Andrew Bogut, finished with 10 points. Ezeli’s block on Blake Griffin’s dunk attempt in the first quarter sent shock waves through Oracle Arena.

Draymond Green chipped in with 10 points and five rebounds.

Chris Paul led the Clippers with 24 points and nine assists on 9-for-15 shooting, but four points came just after halftime. Paul also missed two crucial free throws late in the fourth quarter.

Blake Griffin finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, but went scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Los Angeles (4-1), came into the game winners of four straight, just like the Warriors but dropped their eighth straight game in Oakland and find themselves looking up at Golden State in the Pacific Division.

Let’s face it, these teams don’t like each other. Golden State feels the Clippers don’t respect them or the NBA Championship the Warriors won last year; while Los Angeles believes that Golden State are arrogant and were “lucky” to even win the franchise’s first title in 40 years.

With the win, Golden State becomes the first defending NBA Champion since the 2010-11 to start the next season 5-0.

Golden State will try to add to its 21 straight home victories Friday night when they will host the Denver Nuggets.

Both teams will meet each other three more times, with the next installment coming up Nov. 19 when Golden State heads to Los Angeles.

The Warriors blow away the Grizzlies, win by fifty

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Image result for steph curry

photo by Google images

The Golden State Warriors won their fourth game of the season Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Oracle Arena. Monday’s game was the first meeting between the two teams since the Warriors eliminated the Grizzlies in the playoffs last season. In that series, the Warriors lost two of the first three games but rallied to win the next three to eliminate Memphis and continue their run to the NBA title. The Warriors knew that they would have to contain Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph to win. The Warriors stopped them cold and after a very low scoring first period, they put on a performance at both ends of the court to blow the Grizzlies away, beating them by fifty points. The final score was 119-69 for Golden State.

The first period was fairly even as the Grizzlies slowed the game down. The Warriors did manage to take a six-point lead with 4:03 left to play in the period, but the Grizzlies came back and led 22-21 at the end of the first twelve minutes of play.

The second period belonged to the Warriors. Steph Curry and company picked up the tempo of the game. The Warriors moved the ball well. They ran the court and dazzled the Grizzlies. The Warrior defense was spectacular as they held the Grizzlies to just 28& from the floor. The Grizzlies could not make a three-point shot. Draymond Green and Festus Ezeli blocked shots and cleared the boards for the Dubs. The Warriors led 29-26 with almost three minutes played in the second period. They never looked back. They increased the lead to eleven leading 4-0-29 then 47-31 with two minutes left in the half. The Dubs finished the half with a nineteen point lead 53-34.

The Warriors, led by Steph Curry’s twenty-one points in the third period, iced the game for Golden State. Curry was brilliant again. At one point, he made two steals on defense. Curry demoralized Memphis with his brilliance. The Warriors were on a 52-16 run at this time in the game. They finished the third period with a 93-49 advantage. Interim coach, Luke Walto, pulled his regulars from the contest. Ian Clark, James Michael McAdoo, Brandon Rush, Jason Thompson and Mo Speights played the entire fourth period. Final score 119-69.

Game Notes- Steph Curry finished the night with thirty points to lead the Warriors in scoring. Klay Thompson had fourteen and Ian Clark, coming off the bench , finished with fifteen. Festus Ezeli had ten rebounds. Draymond Green recorded nine and Mo Speights had eight. Green had eight assists to lead the Warriors in that category. Leading scorers for Memphis were Marc Gasol with thirteen and Michael Conley with ten.

The Warriors set another record as they won their twentieth straight game at home. They face the Los Angeles Clippers  Wednesday night at the Oracle Arena. The Clippers, led by Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, are aiming to send the Dubs a message. The Dubs and the Clips do not like each other, and the game should be a bruising battle between two elite teams. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

Curry, Warriors ease by Grizzlies by 50 points

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — The Golden State Warriors are putting the NBA on notice: it’s going to be tough to beat them.

Reigning league MVP Stephen Curry scored 21 of his game high 30 points in the third quarter helping the Warriors dismantle the Memphis Grizzlies 119-69 Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. It’s Golden State’s 20th straight win at home, a first in franchise history and their third 50-point win in franchise history.

Curry, who won Western Conference Player of the Week honors after averaging 39.3 points per game during the opening week, shot 10 for 16 from the floor, with four 3-pointers, and three assists.

In three of the team’s first four games, Curry has scored at least 20 points in a quarter.

Klay Thompson finished with 14 points and seven rebounds on 6 of 11 shooting.

Festus Ezeli, starting for the injured Andrew Bogut, scored 11 points and 10 rebounds. Draymond Green nearly had a triple double, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Golden State shot a blistering 51 percent from floor (43 for 84) and 44 percent from 3-point range (11 for 25). Green knocked down 3 of 4 3-pointers.

The Warriors held Memphis to just 27 percent shooting form the floor (26 of 96) and out-rebounded the Grizzlies 65-44. Memphis was outscored 72-27 between the second and third quarters.

Memphis’ starting lineup combined to shoot 11 for 45 from the floor, with center Marc Gasol leading the Grizzlies with 13 points and nine rebounds. Point guard Mike Conley was the only other Grizzly to score in double figures with 10 points.

Golden State (4-0) has defeated their first four opponents by 10 points or more for the first time in franchise history, while Memphis has dropped their last three straight in Oakland.

Memphis (2-2) wanted to extract some revenge on a Golden State Warriors team that eliminated the Grizzlies in six games during last season’s playoffs in which the Warriors captured their first championship in forty years, but Golden State’s stingy defense stymied the Grizzlies.

The two teams will meet each other again on Nov. 10 when Golden State travels to Memphis.

Golden State continues its three-game home stand Wednesday with the hated Los Angeles Clippers visiting Oracle Arena.

Warriors raise championship banner, drop Pelicans in season opener

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND, Calif — Talks of a championship hangover for the Golden State Warriors were quickly put to rest behind Stephen Curry’s 40 points, leading the reigning NBA Champions to a 111-95 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday night to begin their title defense.

Curry was blistering hot in the first quarter, knocking down seven of his first nine shots, including four 3-pointers, en route to 24 points in the opening period. The Warriors point guard finished 14 for 26 from the floor, with seven assists and six rebounds for his 10th career 40-point game.

The Warriors raised their championship banner and received their rings in a pregame ceremony. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who is out indefinitely while recuperating after offseason back surgery, was on hand and got a huge roar from the sold out Oracle Arena crowd. Assistant coach Luke Walton is serving as interim head coach until Kerr returns.

“This is an unbelievable day,” Curry said. “We would not have been able to do what we did last year with your guys’ support.”

Andrew Bogut had 12 points and five rebounds before leaving the game in the third quarter with a right eye laceration following an inadvertent headbutt from Pelicans forward Dante Cunningham. Bogut was already wearing a protective face mask after breaking his nose during the preseason.

Festus Ezeli chipped in 13 points off the bench, while Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green combined for 18 points on 6 for 24 shooting. Earlier in the day, Barnes and the Warriors broke off talks for a new contract extension but left on “amicable terms” according to Warriors GM Bob Myers.

Golden State never was really threatened by the Pelicans, building a 10-point halftime lead and never looked back. The Warriors dominated the Pelicans on the boards, holding a 56-33 edge.

Anthony Davis, who terrorized Golden State last season, shot just 4 for 20 from the field finishing with a team-high 18 points. Golden State played great defense on the Pelicans center, who scored the majority of his points from the free throw line (10 for 15).

Ish Smith scored 17 points and dished out nine assists for the Pelicans, who had just nine players in new head coach and former Warriors assistant coach Alvin Gentry’s debute. The Pelican were without stars Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday and Omer Asik.

Curry had the second-most points by a reigning MVP in an opener since 1963-64, according to STATS. Milwaukee’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 41 on Oct. 13, 1972, against Phoenix.

Lakers and Warriors end early due to wet floor

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

SAN DIEGO — With the playing surface at the Valley View Casino Center filled with too many wet spots and players noticeably slipping, the game between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers was called at the 2:16 mark in the third quarter with Los Angeles holding a 85-70 lead.

According to CSNBayArea.com’s Warriors’ Insider Monte Poole, “On no fewer than seven occasions, players were seen slipping and sliding on the floor. In one notable first-half instance, Warriors guard Steph Curry slipped and recovered to drain a 3-pointer over Jordan Clarkson.”

Curry finished with 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting (5-of-10 on 3s), leading all Warriors in scoring. Curry also added four assists and three rebounds. The reigning MVP scored 14 points in the first half and drained 4-of-8 3s.

Festus Ezeli, starting for injured center Andrew Bogut, scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

Clarkson led all Lakers with 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting, while forward Julius Randle added14 points.

Lakers guard Nick Young, who scored 10 points, said after the game per ESPN, “It was just too dangerous to play on, people slipping left and right.” Young began the game hot, knocking down three straight 3s in under two minutes in the second quarter.

Los Angeles (2-4) shot a better percentage from the floor than Golden State (46% to 38%), and controlled the points in the paint outscoring the Warriors 34 to 22. Golden State turned the ball over 12 times, compared to just five by the Lakers.

Golden Staten continues their three-game SoCal road swing Tuesday against the Clippers on ESPN, before finishing up against the Lakers once more on Thursday on TNT.

The Golden State Warriors open the pre-season with a win

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors played the first game of the pre-season Monday night at the SAP Center in San Jose against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays.  The Dubs beat the Raptors 95-87 as they played their usual uptempo style.The Splash Brothers, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, each had fourteen points in twenty minutes of play. Leandro Barbosa led the team in scoring with fifteen.

The Dubs led 22-21 after the first period and led 53-46 at the half. They had a 6-0 run to start the third period, but Toronto had a 15-7 surge that narrowed the gap, but Barbosa had two key buckets late in the third period to put Golden State in the lead 7-61 after three periods of play.

In the fourth quarter, James Michael McAdoo and Festus Ezeli took over as they scored fourteen of the next sixteen points to put the game out of reach. Dubs win 95-87.

Notes- Mo Speights scored 12 points, and McAdoo added ten. The Warriors shot 50% from the floor and were 41.2% from three-point range. Leading scorers for Toronto were Guards DeMarre Carroll with fifteen and DeMar Rozan with twelve. Forward Norman Powell added thirteen in a losing cause.

The Warriors travel to Portland to face the Trail Blazers Thursday night.

18,223 people filled the SAP Center to see the NBA Champions get ready to defend their crown. The season starts for real October 27th.