Warriors score 80 in first half, blast Lakers 149-106
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Stephen Curry bombed in four first-quarter 3-pointers as the Golden State Warriors ran off to a double-digit lead 3:33 into the game and coasted to a 149-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the opener of a back-to-back series Wednesday night.
The teams duel again Friday night in Los Angeles, where the Lakers surprised the two-time defending Western Conference champs 117-97 on Nov. 4.
Taking advantage of a Lakers team that had to battle to the final horn to beat Oklahoma City the night before and was missing stars Julius Randle and D'Angelo Russell, the Warriors exploded for 41 points in the first quarter and 80 in the first half en route to their ninth consecutive victory.
The lopsided loss spoiled the homecoming of new Lakers coach Luke Walton, the Warriors assistant who stepped in for Steve Kerr and led Golden State to a record 24 consecutive wins at the start of last season.
The Warriors (13-2) led by as many as 31 points in the second quarter on the way to their largest margin of victory of the season.
Golden State's point total was an NBA season high, bettering the 133 the Warriors scored against Phoenix in their previous home game on Nov. 13.
The margin of defeat was the largest of the season for the Lakers (8-8), who outlasted the Thunder 111-109 on Tuesday night at the Staples Center.
Curry finished with 31 points, Kevin Durant 28 and Klay Thompson 26 for the Warriors, who shot an NBA season-best 61.6 percent from the field overall and 19 of 36 on threes.
Curry had seven of the 19 3-pointers. He shot 11-for-18 overall and contributed nine assists.
Curry's first two 3-pointers came during a 14-point Warriors flurry that turned a 4-2 deficit into a 16-4 lead.
The reigning Most Valuable Player added two more threes later in the period, helping Golden State open as much as a 40-22 advantage.
Durant made 11 of his 15 shots and Thompson nine of his 14 for the Warriors, who hit more than half their shots for the eighth time in 15 games this season.
Ian Clark buried five straight 3-pointers during a 21-point performance off the bench, and Draymond Green chipped in a game-high 11 assists to go with nine rebounds and five points.
Brandon Ingram and backups Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams had 16 points apiece for the Lakers, who handed the Warriors one of their nine regular-season losses last season as well.
For Ingram, who was making his first NBA start in place of Randle, the point total was a season best.
Jose Calderon, starting in Russell's place, had seven points and six assists in 21 minutes.
The Lakers shot 43 percent from the field overall and were 8 for 20 on threes.
NOTES: The Lakers hope to have PF Julius Randle (hip pointer) back for Friday's rematch with the Warriors in Los Angeles. ... Lakers PG D'Angelo Russell (sore left knee) had a PRP injection in his injured knee. He's expected to miss two weeks. ... One day after joking that the Warriors might be nervous to see his team again, Lakers coach Luke Walton assured the media of his short-handed team, "We're not going to take mercy on them." ... The Warriors took the court with 30 or more assists in eight straight games. At the start of play, 14 teams had yet to have one 30-assist game this season.