What we learned as Warriors breeze past Lakers to open season

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Tuesday night at Chase Center began with every single fan on their feet, enjoying every single second of yet another Warriors championship ring night. It ended how many expected, with a 123-109 blowout win for the reigning champions over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The first half was full of two teams figuring each other out, and themselves out. And then, the Third Quarter Warriors showed up like usual. 

Golden State outscored its Southern California opponents 32-19 in the third, opening up a 20-point lead going into the fourth.

Though his shot was far from lights out, Steph Curry stuffed the stat sheet for the Warriors, scoring a game-high 33 points to go with seven assists, six rebounds and four steals. When the Lakers started to creep back in the fourth quarter, he took over. Night night.

Klay Thompson played 20 minutes and provided 18 points. With all eyes on him for multiple reasons, Draymond Green gave the Warriors four points, five rebounds and five assists. The Warriors now are 3-1 on ring nights in the Curry-Thompson-Green era.

At one point, the Warriors led by as many as 27. They settled for a 14-point victory.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors' season-opening win.

Shaking Off The Rust

On a night where tipoff happened over a half hour from when the game was slated to begin, the Warriors came out ice cold on their home court. They shot 28 percent (7-for-25) from the field and 27.3 percent (3-for-11) on 3-point attempts in the first quarter. Curry made only one of his seven shot attempts and missed all four from beyond the arc.

Luckily for the Warriors, their long ring ceremony didn't do the Lakers any favors. They only made eight of their 24 shots in the first frame, and just one of their 10 triples went through. 

As the night went on, the Warriors began looking more like themselves. After turning the ball over six times in the first quarter, they committed only two in the second. Klay Thompson early in the third quarter drilled his first three of the night after missing three in the first half. 

Yes, Curry didn't go without his own long ball as well. After missing his first five attempts from downtown, he finally connected at the 5:27 mark in the third quarter. He finished going 4-for-13 from there in the win.

It took some time, but talent won out and the Warriors gave the slightest glimpse of what they can become on the start of their road to repeating.

Money Men

The Warriors prior to the season opener locked up Poole and Andrew Wiggins for the future on contract extensions that can worth up to a combined $249 million. In their first game since putting pen to paper, the two showed why the front office was so eager to get the deals done. 

Poole was the first player off the bench as the Warriors' Sixth Man, coming in for Klay at the 7:18 mark. His first shot attempt was a filthy stepback three on LeBron. The next time down, Wiggins drained a 20-foot jumper. Then it was Poole's time again, this time catching a pass from Curry and transition and immediately letting it fly from deep. 

Splash. Timeout Lakers. 

Wiggins did a bit of everything for the Warriors. While guarding multiple positions and flying in for rebounds, he scored 20 points, made four 3-pointers and added six rebounds and four assists. That's what he'll give the Warriors on a nightly basis.

After his hot start, Poole wound up scoring 12 points and missed his final seven 3-pointers. But he also dished seven assists, had two steals and showcased his two-man game with James Wiseman.

Dubs' Depth

When Steve Kerr met with the media before Tuesday night's season opener, he made one thing clear: A whole lot players were going to see the floor early and often. He promised 10 of his guys would get real minutes, possibly even 11. It didn't take long for him to stay true to his word. 

A total of 10 Warriors were part of the action in the first quarter. Poole was the first off the bench, followed by Wiseman and JaMychal Green. Jonathan Kuminga replaced Wiggins shortly thereafter. Donte DiVincenzo came in with nearly three minutes remaining in the first quarter. 

The 11th member to take his warmup gear off was Moses Moody, who entered early in the second quarter. On most nights, he won't have to wait that long. However, Moody missed the Warriors' final preseason game with right calf soreness and he sat on the bench with a heating pad around that same right calf whenever he wasn't in the game.

Almost every player provided something positive. Right when he came in, Moody drained a corner three. DiVincenzo, Green and Wiseman all scored eight points apiece. Wiseman looked miles ahead of where he was as a rookie, and he and Green grabbed seven rebounds each.

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Every active player aside from Patrick Baldwin Jr., who is dealing with a bit of a thumb injury, got time in Game 1. Expect more of that going forward. The Warriors are deep, and they're going to keep their stars as fresh as possible.

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