advertisement

Curry, Warriors stun James, Lakers 121-114 in opener

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Opening night in Hollywood went well for three quarters for Los Angeles Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

But it was a flop for their new supporting cast, including L.A. native and former league MVP Russell Westbrook.

Curry, a two-time MVP, had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Warriors, who rallied from 10 points down to stun the Lakers 121-114 in a season opener Tuesday night.

The Lakers went cold in the fourth quarter, and surrendered the lead halfway through the period.

James had 34 points and 11 rebounds, while Davis had 33 points and 11 rebounds. No other Lakers scored in double figures.

'œThose two guys were spectacular," coach Frank Vogel said. 'œWe're going to be pretty good if we get those type of performances. We just have to be better defensively. This is a team that is all new to each other, so everybody's finding their way a little bit.'ť

Wesbrook shot just 4 for 13 for eight points in his Lakers debut.

'œHim more than anybody, it's going to be an adjustment period," Vogel said. 'œHe's coming into our culture, our system, he's the new guy, he's got to find his way. It's difficult, when you're used to being the guy that has the ball most nights, to be able to play off others like LeBron and A.D. It's just a little bit different for him. He's going to be great for us but it's going to be an adjustment period."

James and Davis said they helped console Westbrook afterward.

'œI told Russ to go home and watch a comedy,'ť James said. 'œPut a smile on his face. Don't be so hard on himself.'ť

The Lakers had an 84-74 lead late in the third quarter after a jumper by Kent Bazemore, but the Warriors slowly closed the gap.

'œWe didn't finish quarters well the whole night," Vogel said. 'œWe gave up a 38-point fourth quarter. If you do that you're going to lose most nights. Our defense is just not on a string yet. I thought we did a good job being up on Steph, but the back side was much better in the first half than the second half.'ť

Curry made three free throws in the closing seconds of the third quarter after he was fouled taking a 3-pointer, and Jordan Poole and Damion Lee hit 3-pointers early in the fourth.

Poole's layup with 9:17 left put the Warriors ahead for good at 91-90, and he finished with 20 points. The Warriors expanded the lead to 98-90 before the Lakers twice closed within two points.

But Curry and Nemanja Bjelica each hit 3-pointers to give the Warriors some breathing room. Bjelica had 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Lee also scored 15 points.

'œWe kept our composure and didn't turn the ball over in the second half, which was a huge benefit to just maintaining the pace and giving ourselves some looks,'ť Curry said. 'œBut the fact that everybody who was on the floor contributed in a meaningful way kind of speaks to our depth and how we want to play going forward. We're excited about that and it's good to be 1-0.'ť

Davis and James dominated for much of the game while welcoming a slew of new teammates, including Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan.

The Lakers, who won the NBA title in the bubble in October 2020, retooled after losing to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of last season's playoffs. They retained just three players - James, Davis and Talen Horton-Tucker, who's out with a thumb injury.

James and Davis made 3-pointers and fallaway jumpers. In one remarkable sequence, James saved an errant pass and flicked it to Davis, who slammed it home for a 68-61 lead with 7:51 to go in the third quarter.

The Lakers, who went 0-6 in the preseason, led 59-53 at halftime.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Golden State remains without All-Star guard Klay Thompson, who continues to rehab an Achilles tendon injury that cost him the entire 2021 season. ... The teams last met on May 19 when Los Angeles beat Golden State 103-100 at home in the opener of the league's first play-in tournament.

Lakers: Howard welcomed fans with a short address just before the game, mentioning that it was the NBA's 75th anniversary and closed by saying, 'œLet's get it!'ť ... Jordan and Bazemore started alongside James, Davis and Westbrook. ... Anthony and Rondo got a nice hand when they subbed in together with 5:40 to go in the first quarter.

UP NEXT

Warriors: Host Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.

Lakers: Host Phoenix on Friday.

___

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) defends against Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) The Associated Press
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) blocks a shot by Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) The Associated Press
Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook shoots as Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody, rear, defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) The Associated Press
Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) is fouled by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) The Associated Press
Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo (4) and Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) vie for the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) The Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.