OAKLAND – Stephen Curry is coming off an injury-plagued season and a summer he thought might be among his best yet.
On a festive night of celebration as another championship banner went up, Curry brought his usual flair and dazzle. Kevin Durant did all of the little things, too.
Curry had 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Durant added 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and the Golden State Warriors opened their quest for a three-peat by holding off the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-100 on Tuesday night.
“I love who we are, game 1 of 82,” Durant said. “Just keep grinding.”
Golden State needed a strong fourth quarter after the two-time defending champions received their 2018 rings in a pregame ceremony shortly before tipoff and began the final season at Oracle Arena before a move across San Francisco Bay to new Chase Center.
“It’s a great move for the organization. We know that but this place is special, so we want to make sure this is a special season,” coach Steve Kerr said.
Klay Thompson shot just 5 of 20 for 14 points while center Damian Jones scored 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting for the Warriors in his first career start and 26th game.
Kerr knows his players are still getting in shape and looked tired, saying: “We didn’t look much like ourselves. It’s not surprising either. We need a couple more weeks.”
Curry called it “an emotional night” but then the Warriors had to refocus and get to work.
“We played a solid game, nothing spectacular, we had a lot of mistakes,” Curry said. “We understand the process of kind of building up.”
Paul George scored 27 points for the Thunder, who struggled to find an offensive groove while missing star Russell Westbrook because of knee surgery last month.
Oklahoma City trailed by 10 at the break then came out of halftime making 9 of 12 shots to go ahead 69-66 before the Warriors rallied.
“I was really encouraged and pleased with the way we came out in the third quarter,” coach Billy Donovan said. “Last year at times it was a struggle for us.”
Versatile Warriors All-Star Draymond Green, limited during the preseason by a sore knee, wound up with two points, 13 rebounds and five assists in nearly 33 minutes.
Curry, who shot 11 for 20 with five 3s, notched 17 30-point performances during his injury-shortened 2017-18 season.
These teams met in a season opener for the first time – though the Warriors won on the road against the Seattle SuperSonics in 1983.
Golden State lost last year’s opener at Oracle after a title run 122-121 to the Rockets. (AP)
