Warriors 111, Pelicans 95
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Point guard Stephen Curry became the first reigning Most Valuable Player in NBA history to score 40 or more points on opening night, pouring in 40 Tuesday to lead the defending champion Golden State Warriors to a 111-95 shellacking of the New Orleans Pelicans in a nationally televised game.
The evening was a joyous one for the Warriors from start to finish, as the club received its 2014-15 championship rings in a pregame ceremony featuring NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
The Warriors, a 67-game winner in the regular season a year ago, picked up right where they left off on a home court on which they haven't lost since January and went 39-2 last year.
They did so without coach Steve Kerr, who attended the ring ceremony but then headed straight to the Warriors locker room, where he rested an ailing back as he watched the game on television.
Assistant Luke Walton coached the game.
Curry buried four 3-pointers during a 24-point, first-quarter explosion, as the Warriors thrilled a crowd that had just taken its seats following the raising of just the franchise's second banner in its West Coast history.
The Warriors went on to lead by 10 at halftime and by as many as 20 in the third quarter before coasting home for an easy victory over a Pelicans team it swept 4-0 in the first round of last year's playoffs.
New Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry, a 2014-15 Warriors assistant coach, received a championship ring to a loud ovation before the game, but then was relegated to watching his old pals dominate his injury-depleted club.
The Pelicans suited up only nine guys, played without three starters -- point guard Jrue Holiday, small forward Tyreke Evans and center Omer Asik -- and suffered through a 4-for-20 shooting night by star Anthony Davis.
Holiday, who is being brought along slowly as he completes the rehabilitation from a leg injury, is expected to make his season debut Wednesday when the Pelicans resurface in Portland.
The Pelicans also lost small forward Dante Cunningham in the third quarter after he clashed heads with Warriors center Andrew Bogut.
Neither returned to the game, Cunningham because he was being observed for a possible concussion, while Bogut went to the Warriors' locker room to get stitches above his right eye.
Davis, who ranked among the league's leading scorers last season with a 24.4 average, finished with a team-high 18 points. Backup point guard Ish Smith added 17.
The Pelicans shot just 42.2 percent.
Curry had no such problems with his shooting, connecting on 14 of 26, including five of his 12 treys. He also contributed seven assists and two steals to the win.
Backup center Festus Ezeli had 13 points, Bogut 12 and power forward Draymond Green 10 to go with eight rebounds, helping Golden State outrebound New Orleans 56-33.
The Pelicans initially overcame Curry's 24-point first quarter and an early 12-point deficit to rally into a 39-all tie in the second minute of the second period.
Smith had 11 points in the rally, effectively countering most of Curry's scoring late in the first period.
New Orleans led 44-43 after a three-point play by Cunningham with 7:31 left in the period before Golden State re-established its superiority.
Curry added four points to his total and Bogut added six as the Warriors finished the half on a 16-5 run to take a 59-49 lead into the break.
Curry had 29 points in the half, whereas Davis had missed eight of his nine shots and was held to six.
Curry then added 11 points and the Warriors made half of their 24 shots in the third quarter, allowing them to go up 90-70 before period's end.
NOTES: The NBA defending champ had gone 54-14 all-time in its season opener before the Warriors took the court Tuesday. ... Asked before the game if he thought he'd be back on the bench before Jan. 1, Warriors coach Steve Kerr chuckled and responded, "I sure hope so." He did go on to say there is no timetable for his return. ... Warriors GM Bob Myers announced before the game that negotiations on a contract extension for SF Harrison Barnes will be tabled until the end of the season. Barnes, who stands to become a restricted free agent, reportedly was offered a four-year, $64 million extension. ... Injured players PG Jrue Holiday (leg), SF Tyreke Evans (knee) and C Omar Asik (calf) averaged 18.3 points per game when the Pelicans were swept by the Warriors in the first round of last season's playoffs. ... Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry announced before the game that Holiday not only will not go in back-to-backs early in the season but also will be limited to 20 minutes in games he plays.