Buddy Hield made five 3-pointers and scored 22 points off the bench in his Golden State debut to help the Warriors notch a convincing 139-104 victory over the host Portland Trail Blazers in the season opener for both teams.
Andrew Wiggins dropped in 20 points and Stephen Curry added 17 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in three quarters for the Warriors, who opened a season without Klay Thompson on the roster for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign.
Moses Moody had 15 points and Trayce Jackson-Davis added 14 for Golden State, which has won seven straight games against Portland and 11 of the past 12. The Warriors led by as many as 37 points and held a 57-42 rebounding edge.
Scoot Henderson led Portland with 22 points off the bench. Jerami Grant scored 16, Deni Avdija and Anfernee Simons added 15 each, Toumani Camara had 11 and DeAndre Ayton recorded 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Portland played without Shaedon Sharpe (shoulder), Robert Williams III (hamstring) and Matisse Thybulle (knee).
Jonathan Kuminga and De’Anthony Melton had 10 points apiece for the Warriors, who shot 51.6 percent from the field and were 20 of 48 (41.7 percent) from 3-point range. Wiggins made four treys, and Curry and Moody each had three.
The Trail Blazers shot 39.1 percent from the field and were a shaky 8 of 34 (23.5 percent) from behind the arc.
Golden State led by 12 at halftime and increased the margin to 29 late in the third quarter.
Portland trailed 74-63 after Grant drained a trey with 6:48 left in the period before the Warriors ripped off 15 straight points.
Curry started it with a 3-pointer, Wiggins buried one and Curry hit another to make it 83-63 with 5:36 remaining.
Hield made a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play in an 18-second span to increase the lead to 26 with four minutes left.
A dunk by Melton made it 97-68 with 59.3 seconds to go, and it was 99-72 entering the final 12 minutes.
A 3-pointer by Moody pushed the lead over 30 for the first time at 123-91 with 3:25 left as the Warriors coasted to the finish.
Golden State trailed 12-3 after a stunningly slow start. The Warriors missed their first nine field-goal attempts until Draymond Green scored on a layup with 6:27 left in the quarter.
But the score was tied at 21 at the end of the quarter, and the Warriors scored 41 points in the second on 14-of-26 shooting to build a 62-50 halftime lead.
(REUTERS)
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