Klay Thompson celebrated his big payday with a breakout performance against the player he idolised as a kid growing up in Southern California.
Thompson scored a career-high 41 points in his first game since signing a contract extension, teaming with backcourt star Stephen Curry to carry the Golden State Warriors past Kobe Bryant and the winless Los Angeles Lakers 127-104 on Saturday night.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s a great feat,” Thompson said. “It’s something I’ll look back on one day and say, ‘That’s cool’.”
Thompson, who inked a four-year maximum extension worth about $70 million (Dh257.1m) Friday, shot 14-for-18 from the floor. Curry added 31 points and 10 assists, and the Warriors withstood Bryant’s big plays to thrill a blue-shirt wearing sellout crowd of 19,596 in the team’s home opener.
“It was like the rising star at that position going against the guy who’s been the best for 15 years,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It was fun to watch.”
Bryant scored 19 of his 28 points in the third quarter and nearly brought the depleted Lakers back with one improbable shot after another. Instead, Thompson smothered Bryant in the final quarter – holding him to one point – and Los Angeles lost their fourth game in five nights.
The Lakers are 0-4 for the first time since the 1957/58 season when the franchise was located in Minneapolis.
“Just stay the course,” said Bryant, who shot 12-of-28. “We still have a lot of room for improvement, but we’re moving in the right direction.”
Bryant was at least pleased with the progress the Lakers showed at the end of a trying first week.
The team already have ruled Steve Nash out for the season because of a nagging back injury and first-round pick Julius Randle broke his right leg, ending his rookie campaign. The Lakers are also playing without Nick Young (right thumb) and Ryan Kelly (sore right hamstring).
Warriors power forward David Lee sat out with a strained left hamstring for the second straight game, which Kerr attributed to another slow start. Unlike the Lakers, though, Golden State could lean on their talented tandem and a deep roster to eclipse Bryant’s brilliance.
Jordan Hill finished with 23 points and five rebounds to help the Lakers build a 43-33 lead in the second quarter, a run that silenced the crowd and had Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob sitting in a courtside seat with his hand under his chin staring into the stands in frustration.
That was a familiar look last season when Lacob’s team lost several home games to inferior competition, which played a part in Mark Jackson’s firing. This time, Kerr called timeout and got his team to respond.
Golden State scored 14 straight points and ended the half leading 61-55 behind a series of scintillating highlights – including a behind-the-back pass from Curry that led to a dunk for Andre Iguodala.
All of Bryant’s brilliance, including a twisting layup while getting fouled by Festus Ezeli late in the second quarter, couldn’t lead the Lakers to victory. He showed off an array of fadeaways and runners in the third quarter that even left some Warriors fans wowed.
“He was making some crazy shots,” Thompson said.
But Golden State’s dynamic duo erased anything Bryant did. Thompson made 5-of-7 shots from three-point range, and Curry finished 10-of-19 shooting, including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.
“It’s tough to stay on top,” Thompson said. “They’ve had their great runs. I think it’s the Warriors’ turn, man.”
AROUND THE NBA
Mavericks 109, Pelicans 104
Chandler Parsons scored 20 points as Dallas beat New Orleans.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 17 despite foul trouble, making a 12-foot fade over Anthony Davis that gave Dallas a 109-103 lead with 49 seconds left.
Monta Ellis also scored 17 for the Mavericks. Parsons’ performance was highlighted by a momentum-swinging three-pointer from well behind the arc that gave Dallas a 101-96 lead in the middle of the fourth quarter.
Davis had 31 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks for the Pelicans
Hawks 102, Pacers 92
Jeff Teague scored 25 points and Al Horford added 20 in the Hawks’ home opener against the Pacers.
Indiana closed to 95-92 when Donald Sloan was fouled in the corner by Horford and knocked down all three free throws with 1:13 left. But Teague answered with a jumper, Sloan missed and Teague made a pair of free throws with 26.6 seconds left to clinch the victory.
Teague scored 11 of Atlanta’s first 22 points and came up big at the end.
Raptors 108, Magic 95
DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points and Kyle Lowry added 21 as the Raptors beat the Magic for the eighth straight time.
The Raptors held the Magic to 35.8 per cent shooting in the final quarter and put all five starters in double figures to win their second in a row.
Evan Fournier scored 18 points for the Magic, who have lost three straight. Rookie point guard Elfrid Payton had 16 points and nine assists.
Heat 114, 76ers 96
Chris Bosh had 30 points and eight rebounds for the Heat, who won their second straight. Mario Chalmers scored 18 points, and Dwyane Wade had nine points and 10 assists.
Tony Wroten had 21 points and 10 assists for the Sixers, and Brandon Davies scored 18 points for the winless team.
Expected to challenge the 82-game mark for worst record in NBA history, Philadelphia are 0-3 and could add to that winless streak with three more home games in the next week.
Wizards 108, Bucks 97
Paul Pierce was ejected before half-time in his first home game with the Wizards, and Otto Porter picked up the slack with a career-high 21 points.
Starting the third quarter in place of Pierce, second-year forward Porter – essentially a nonfactor as a No 3 overall draft pick as a rookie – scored 19 points in the second half and finished 7-for-11 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line.
Grizzlies 71, Hornets 69
Marc Gasol scored 22 points, and Zach Randolph had 12 points and 12 rebounds as the Grizzlies opened 3-0 for the first time.
The Hornets (1-1) were led by Al Jefferson, who scored 19 points on 8-of-19 shooting. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 11 points and 12 rebounds, but the team’s big free-agent acquisition, Lance Stephenson, scored two points and didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
Charlotte trailed 51-46 entering the fourth quarter, but Kemba Walker, who had been limited to one field goal all game, knocked down a three-pointer from the wing for a 65-62 lead.
Nets 102, Pistons 90
Joe Johnson scored 15 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter as Brooklyn got their first win.
The Pistons (0-3) got 18 points and 11 rebounds from Greg Monroe, who was making his season debut after a two-game suspension for a drunk-driving arrest, but the team were 1-for-17 on three-pointers.
Kevin Garnett added 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Nets (1-1), while Deron Williams scored 15 points.
Rockets 104, Celtics 90
James Harden had 26 points and eight rebounds, and Houston took a 37-22 lead after one quarter in starting 3-0 for the second straight season.
Harden was 5-of-14 from the field, but he was 14-of-14 from the free throw line. He also had six assists.
Terrence Jones added 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Dwight Howard had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets.
Thunder 102, Nuggets 91
Perry Jones and Serge Ibaka each scored 23 points to help short-handed Oklahoma City wins their first game this season.
Already without MVP Kevin Durant for at least a month because of a broken right foot, the Thunder said star point guard Russell Westbrook had surgery on his broken right hand Saturday and also will miss at least a month.
The Thunder led 29-17 at the end of the first quarter, earning a standing ovation.
Kendrick Perkins scored 17 points and Steven Adams added 13 for the Thunder. Ty Lawson scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half for the Nuggets.
Bulls 106, Timberwolves 105
Jimmy Butler made a surprise return to the starting line-up and made two free throws with 0.2 seconds left to help Chicago weather another absence from star guard Derrick Rose.
Butler scored 24 points on 6-for-12 shooting in his season debut, and Pau Gasol added 29 points and six rebounds for the Bulls, who missed Rose because of a sprained left ankle.
Kevin Martin scored 33 points and made a three-pointer for a 105-104 lead with 2.9 seconds to play. But Butler got rookie Andrew Wiggins in the air on the other end and forced contact to get to the line. He calmly made the free throws.
Jazz 118, Suns 91
Derrick Favors scored a career-high 32 points and added nine rebounds, and Gordon Hayward had 24 points and 10 boards as Utah earned their first victory of the season.
Trevor Booker added 14 points and nine rebounds off the bench as Utah dominated around the basket, outscoring Phoenix 66-42 in the paint and enjoying a 52-34 edge in rebounds.
It paid off for the Jazz in transition. Utah outscored Phoenix 35-21 in fast-break points and had a 19-11 edge in second-chance points.
Gerald Green had 16 points off the bench for the Suns (2-1), who shot just 14-of-43 (32.6 per cent) from the field in the second half. Markieff Morris added 13 points and Marcus Morris chipped in 12.
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