CALIFORNIA – Golden State Warriors kicked off its title defense in the 2022-2023 NBA Season in style. It dominated Los Angeles Lakers, 123-109, on Tuesday night (Wednesday in the Philippines) at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Stephen Curry overcame a slow start to finish with 33 points, including four triples, to go with seven assists and six rebounds, while Andrew Wiggins added 20 markers for the Warriors.
Klay Thompson contributed 18 points, while Jordan Poole ended up with 12 points, with 10 coming in the first half, for the reigning NBA champions Golden State.
Clinging to a slim 27-26 lead, the Warriors scored seven straight points behind James Wiseman and Moses Moody followed by conversions from Curry and Thompson for a 59-51 halftime lead.
The Warriors continued its onslaught in the second half with baskets from Curry, Thompson and Wiggins for an 89-64 spread before the Lakers went on a late run to cut the deficit to 71-91.
The Lakers made its last push in the fourth period as they cut the deficit to 91-103 but eight straight points by Curry and three outside shots by Wiggins sealed the win for the Warriors.
LeBron James had 31 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, Anthony Davis added 27 markers, while Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn had 19 and 13 points, respectively, for the Lakers.
Last season’s runner up Boston Celtics also had a triumphant start after scoring a 126-117 victory over Philadelphia 76ers at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
From a 63-all score at the half, the Celtics had a fiery third quarter behind consecutive points from inside and outside by Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart for a 98-88 advantage.
The 76ers attempted to come close several times with last at 94-101 but back-to-back conversions Jaylen Brown followed by baskets from Grant Williams and Malcolm Brogdon secured the victory for the Celtics.
Tatum tallied double-double 35 points and 12 rebounds, Brown also had 35 markers, while Brogdon, Williams and Smart had 16, 15 and 14, respectively, for the reigning NBA Eastern Conference champions.
BOX SCORE:
GOLDEN STATE 123 — Curry 33, Wiggins 20, Thompson 18, Poole 12, DiVincenzo 8, J. Green 8, Wiseman 8, Looney 7, Moody 5, D. Green 4, Kuminga 0, Rollins 0.
LOS ANGELES 109 — James 31, Davis 27, Westbrook 19, Nunn 13, Walker 5, Ryan 3, Reaves 3, Beverley 3, Christie 3, Pippen 2, Gabriel 0, Toscano-Anderson 0, Swider 0.
Quarterscores: 25-22, 59-51, 91-71, 123-109./PN
