(SportsNetwork.com) – The Golden State Warriors stage their home opener
Saturday night against the Los Angeles Lakers at Oracle Arena.
The Warriors opened the season with a 95-77 drubbing of the Sacramento Kings
on Wednesday night at Sleep Train Arena.
“A lot of fun,” said new head coach Steve Kerr. “Every game is different in
this league, we know that. But you’ve got to find a way to win and our guys
did tonight.”
Stephen Curry filled the stat sheet Wednesday with 24 points, 10 rebounds, six
steals and five assists. Klay Thompson had 19 points and six assists for
Golden State, which fell to the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games during the
first round of last season’s NBA playoffs.
Marreese Speights provided 16 points off the bench and Draymond Green added 12
points and 10 boards in the triumph. Green started in place of the injured
David Lee.
A Rudy Gay dunk in transition off a Darren Collison steal staked the Kings to
a 54-51 lead in the third before Golden State pulled away following a 19-2
run.
The Warriors didn’t shoot the ball great in game one. They shot 44 percent
from the field and 22 percent from 3-point range, but held the Kings to 30.8
percent, 16.7 percent from beyond the arc and forced a staggering 27
turnovers.
The Lakers will try to avoid going 0-4 for the first time since the 1957-58
squad dropped their first seven. That team was located in Minneapolis, but
this LA version is struggling badly.
The 2014-15 Lakers lost their third straight Friday night to the Los Angeles
Clippers, 118-111.
Jordan Hill paced the Lakers with 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting, Kobe Bryant
had 21 points and seven assists and Jeremy Lin contributed 17 points and nine
assists.
“Our effort was great,” Lakers head coach Byron Scott said. “In the second
half, we made a couple of boneheaded mistakes. Both teams were playing
aggressive.”
The Lakers took a four-point lead into the fourth quarter, but their Staples
Center co-tenants dominated the final stanza, 32-21. During those last 12
minutes, Bryant couldn’t put his side on his back. The future Hall of Famer
shot 1-for-7 from the floor.
Golden State won three of four against the Lakers last season and has won four
of the last six overall. The Warriors have taken three consecutive home
contests against LA, but the Lakers are 13-5 in their last 18 at Oracle Arena.
