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Los Angeles (AFP) – Star Stephen Curry scored 33 points as the Golden State Warriors opened their NBA title defense with a 123-109 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, on the opening day of the new season.
After receiving diamond rings and hoisting the championship banner at a pre-game gala at Chase Center in San Francisco, the Warriors put on a stunning performance to defeat LeBron James and the Lakers in their new look.
The Warriors’ pre-season has been overshadowed by a squabble in training when Draymond Green punched Jordan Paul – what coach Steve Kerr described as the “biggest crisis” since his arrival at the helm of the coaching staff eight years ago.
But the Warriors did not seem affected by this incident in his first match, stressing that he will be a strong candidate to defend his title. Paul and Greene were together on the field and seemed to want to put what happened behind them, especially when the first passed a smart ball to the second he followed into the basket in the middle of the third quarter.
The Lakers, who played their first competitive game under new coach Darvin Hamm, seemed more disciplined defensively, but the Warriors’ abilities exceeded his abilities.
LeBron James (37 years) scored 31 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists, compared to 27 points for Anthony Davis and 19 for Russell Westbrook.
“The party was a great celebration, to take the time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, watch the banner go up and the best moments (last season),” Corey said.
“After that, it is difficult to turn the page and play a basketball game, but we knew how to do it. Now we can look forward to the season.”
In the other opening game of the season, Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown each scored 35 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 126-117 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers.
Tatum, who has been under fire after his poor performance in last year’s final against the Warriors, produced an outstanding performance at TD Garden.
Interim coach Joe Mazzola won his first win after taking over as coach last month after the sudden suspension of Nigerian-American Aimee Odoka.
Odoka, one of the league’s most prominent rising coaches, has been banned for the entire 2022-2023 season after details emerged of an inappropriate relationship with one of the women on the Celtics staff.
James Harden was the best from the Philadelphia side with 35 points, compared to 26 for Cameroonian Joel Embiid.
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