Steph Curry struggled with his shot, and Klay Thompson and James Wiseman are sidelined, recovering from injuries.It doesn’t sound like a successful formula against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. But a fine team effort, especially from the Golden State Warriors bench, and a solid fourth quarter were enough to overcome 30-point performances from James and Anthony Davis.The Warriors defeated the Lakers 121-114 on Tuesday, jumpstarting the 2021-22 season, the league’s 75th anniversary.Curry had 21 points on 5-for-21 shooting, and his 10 his assists and 10 rebounds gave him his eighth career triple-double and first since 2015-16.Jordan Poole was one of six Warriors in double figures with 20 points. Nemanja Bjelica had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Damion Lee had 15 points and Andre Iguodala and Andrew Wiggins each scored 12 points. Draymond Green was his typical self with six points, eight rebounds and six assists.The Warriors’ bench outscored the Lakers’ reserves 55-29, outscored the Lakers 55-34 in the paint, and the Lakers were a dismal 9-for-19 on free throws while Golden State was 25-for-30. Golden State also outscored Los Angeles 68-55 in the second half, including 38-29 in the fourth quarter.James had 34 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and Davis had 30 points and 11 rebounds. But they were the only two Lakers in double figures.Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony made their Lakers debuts, and Westbrook struggled with just eight points on 4-for-13 shooting (0-for-4 on 3s) plus four turnovers. Anthony scored nine points on 3-for-9 shooting.Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt. Source link
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