PORTLAND, Ore. — Stephen Curry recorded 17 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds before resting in the fourth quarter, leading the Golden State Warriors to a commanding 139-104 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in their season opener on Wednesday night.
Buddy Hield contributed 22 points off the bench for the Warriors, who missed the playoffs last year.
The Trail Blazers started strong, leading by as many as nine points in the first quarter. However, the Warriors surged ahead and went into halftime leading 62-50. Curry began the second half with a three-pointer, and the Warriors extended their advantage to as much as 37 points as the game progressed.
Scoot Henderson led Portland with 22 points from the bench, while Shaedon Sharpe was sidelined due to a shoulder injury.
In notable highlights, Terry Stotts, the former head coach of the Blazers from 2012 to 2021, is now serving as an assistant coach under Steve Kerr with the Warriors. During the first quarter, the Blazers honored Stotts, prompting him to acknowledge the crowd.
“We’re definitely more organized this year, I think, than we’ve been in the past. Terry has been a huge part of that,” Kerr remarked. “He’s added so much to our staff and given us some different stuff that we’re excited about.”
In a key moment prior to halftime, Draymond Green received his first technical foul of the season for arguing with officials after a foul call, leading Kerr to place a comforting arm around him as they exited the court together.
A crucial statistic from the game revealed that Curry, who recently won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, achieved seven assists in the first quarter alone, surpassing Clyde Drexler (6,125) to move into 38th place on the NBA’s all-time career assists list.
Looking ahead, the Trail Blazers will continue their three-game homestand on Friday against the Pelicans, while the Warriors are set to visit the Jazz on the same day.