Steph reveals what has him excited after Warriors’ win vs. Lakers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
It’s just one game, but the Warriors’ season-opening 121-114 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night certainly was noteworthy.
Steph Curry recorded a triple-double but shot just 5-for-21 from the field and described his performance as “trash.” But the Warriors got 20 points from Jordan Poole, 15 from Nemanja Bjelica, 15 from Damion Lee and 12 from Andre Iguodala, showing Bob Myers’ offseason moves to improve the depth have paid off.
Curry knows it’s just one game and the Warriors have at least 81 more to go, but the return of the “Strength In Numbers” Warriors has the two-time MVP excited.
“It’s a good confidence-builder knowing we came in and got the job done,” Curry told reporters after the game. “Everybody contributed and we’re starting to develop an understanding of offensively how we are going to create shots. We moved the ball, weathered the storm during the third quarter, went on a little run, kept our composure.
“We 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. But the fact that everybody who was on the floor contributed in a meaningful way kind of speaks to the depth and how we want to play going forward. So I’m excited about that. It’s good to be 1-0.”
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The Warriors entered the fourth quarter trailing 85-83, but Poole, Bjelica, Iguodala, Lee and Otto Porter Jr. ripped off a 17-7 run over a little over four minutes to give Golden State a 100-92 lead, with each player recording at least one bucket.
Los Angeles responded by cutting the lead to two before Curry and Bjelica scored eight of the next 10 to effectively put the game out of reach.
Where the Warriors were deep and balanced, the Lakers were a two-man show Tuesday night. LeBron James scored 34 and Anthony Davis netted 33, but no other Laker reached double digits. Russell Westbrook put up a stinker in his Purple and Gold debut, scoring just eight points on 4-for-13 from the field.
In a wide-open Western Conference, the Warriors’ depth will be an important asset. That depth will be buoyed with the eventual return of Klay Thompson and James Wiseman.
It’s only one game, but there is reason to be excited about what this Warriors team can become. They beat the Western Conference favorites on an off night from Curry, sending an early message to the rest of the West.
Hard to draw it up any better than that.