“He told me, ‘We won 67 (regular-season) games a year ago, and I didn’t know what I was doing at all, ‘” Walton said after the Warriors began their title defense with a 111-95 shellacking of the New Orleans Pelicans.
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Point guard Stephen Curry picked up where he left off, putting together the best scoring performance from a reigning MVP since Kareem Abdul Jabbar in 1972, opening the season with 40 points in 36 minutes. Curry finished the night 14-26 with seven assists and 40 points.
First-year New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry took part in the festivities and received a rousing ovation, as he was Golden State’s associate head coach before departing for the Big Easy.
However, Golden State took control again in the second quarter and never looked back from then on, preventing the injury-riddled Pelicans squad from mounting a comeback en route to their 16-point victory.
The former three-point specialist with the Chicago Bulls was healthy enough to participate in pregame ceremonies that honored Golden State for its 2015 National Basketball Association Finals win. They shot 42.7 percent from the field with nine three-pointers, and also tallied seven steals and eight blocks for the entire match. The story coming in was obviously how the Warriors would fare in their new season, although if you paid any attention to the offseason, you’re well aware of the hype that surrounded Anthony Davis. After straining his left hamstring on October 12 in a preseason tilt at Chicago, the 6-foot-9 forward was nearing a return and may be available Wednesday in Portland. As one would expect, sales of official Warrior gear have been off the hook these past few monthsm, but one man chose to pass on the factory-made stuff for something with a little more bling.
Andrew Bogut, who recently hit back at LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers about doubting their championship win, received his championship ring that was actually fitted for his middle finger. “We have a lot of games to play, and (Gentry) always says any team that he coached before, they didn’t get it right away, offensively. When I feel better, I’ll feel better”. The Dubs are writing the same story with a different head coach, having already exceeded their rebounding and assist averages from last season in a single game. The Pelicans were the team the Warriors faced in the first round and not to much has changed since then.
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Spaniard Nikola Mirotic and Derrick Rose combined for 37 points as the Cavaliers fell short in the season opener for the second time in a row.
