OAKLAND, California— Reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry showed he hasn’t lost a step or his swagger in the offseason, scoring 40 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 111-95 victory over New Orleans as the new season began Tuesday.
Curry put on a familiar shooting clinic from all over the court, knocking down seven of his first nine shots, with four 3-pointers, for 24 first-quarter points. He finished 14 for 26 with seven assists and six rebounds in a rematch of last season’s first-round playoff series that Golden State swept 4-0.
In the other opening games, Chicago had a narrow victory over Cleveland and Detroit had a more comfortable win at Atlanta.
Curry and the Warriors raised the championship banner and received their rings in a pregame ceremony. Coach Steve Kerr attended, then left for the locker room to rest his surgically repaired back as interim Luke Walton coached the team.
New Orleans’ Anthony Davis, who averaged 29.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in two games against Golden State last season, shot just 4 for 20 and scored 10 of his 18 points on free throws.
Chicago’s Nikola Mirotic scored 19 points and Derrick Rose added 18 to lead the Bulls past Cleveland 97-95.
Pau Gasol blocked a potential tying layup by LeBron James in the closing seconds, and Jimmy Butler then blocked an inbounds pass intended for James as time expired.
James scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Cleveland, but the Cavaliers came up short against the team they knocked out in the conference semifinals last season.
All five Detroit starters reached double figures in points as the Pistons won 106-94 at Atlanta.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 21 points for the Pistons, who finished 28 games behind the Hawks last season, but began to pull away just before halftime. They led by double figures through most of the final two quarters and held on despite missing 20 of their last 22 shots from the field.
Dennis Schroder led the Hawks with 20 points. New starter Kent Bazemore, promoted at small forward after DeMarre Carroll left in free agency, was held scoreless. — Agencies
