Steph Curry and Buddy Hield led the Warriors to victory over the Blazers

The Golden State Warriors had a perfect preseason and then started the 2024-25 NBA season by facing a Portland Trail Blazers team that isn't expected to be very competitive this year. It was fair to expect a clear victory.

And a clear win was exactly what the Dubs delivered, even if it required a slight detour in the first quarter.

Steve Kerr decided to open the year with a big starting lineup. The top five were Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis. And the early results weren't exactly what Kerr was looking for.

The Dubs couldn't buy a basket to start the game, with one missed shot after another, prompting Kerr to call a timeout barely four minutes into the game, with the Dubs trailing 10-3 and scoring all of their points on free throws . The ball was moving and the looks were good, they just didn't fall… and that continued even after the timeout. Curry missed a three-pointer on the first possession – his third missed three of the game – and the team missed its first nine attempts from the field before a Greens layup with less than 6:30 remaining finally ended the cold streak.

That didn't take the lid off the basket. The Warriors still couldn't make any shots and were 2-for-15 from the field at one point. But the defense became tighter, limiting Portland's clean looks. And finally, with just under two minutes left, Buddy Hield jumped free for a three-pointer and fired it through the net… his first points as a Warrior, the team's first three in nine attempts and, remarkably, their first successful jump shot of the game. And perhaps most importantly, it evened the game. Hield also made a three-pointer on the next possession, and although the Dubs shot just 6-for-23 from the field (and 2-for-12 from deep), the score was tied 21-21 after the first quarter.

And after that it just wasn't competitive anymore.

The five-man unit that started the second quarter – De'Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Kuminga, Kyle Anderson and Kevon Looney – was impenetrable on defense, even if the offense remained cold (and Moody had to leave early after he had quickly collected three points). fouls). But while the defense continued to hold strong, the offense finally began to turn things around. Hield carried much of the offense, while Brandin Podziemski's energy and effort opened up the court for the Dubs and gave them additional possessions. With just over four minutes left, they led 44-37, prompting Portland to call a timeout, but it had little effect. Late in the half, Green picked up a technical foul that seemed to send the team into a frenzy, and soon – led by a blast from Wiggins – the lead was double digits. With energy and aggression flowing freely, the Warriors dropped 41 points in the quarter and led 62-50 at halftime.

And then the Warriors came to play in the third quarter. Curry, who had made just one shot – and no three – in the first half, made a three-pointer early in the third quarter. A 5-0 Portland run got the Blazers back within 10 points, but then the Warriors remembered how much good happens when they pass and cut. So they passed, cut, and went on a 10-3 run to take an 80-63 lead, which led to a Portland timeout.

The time off didn't help. This is where curry came from. with another three-pointer (his third of the quarter in as many attempts), which was followed by a Hield three-pointer and a Hield three-point play. It was a 19-3 run and a 26-point lead. They were different teams playing at different levels, and there was no sign that Portland would even flirt with finishing the game again.

And they wouldn't do that either. The Dubs led 99-72 after the third quarter and gave all of their starters a break in the fourth quarter – remarkably, no one played longer than 25 minutes. They made it to the fourth round and won 139-104…the largest opening night margin of victory in franchise history.

While Kerr suggested the Warriors would cut back to a 10-man rotation, there were 12 players making a meaningful run on Wednesday as all but Lindy Waters III and Gui Santos played minutes without wasting time. Hield led the way with 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting and shot 5-for-7 from distance as he appeared capable of converting the offense. Wiggins was fantastic despite a shortened preseason, dropping 20 points and four rebounds, shooting 4 of 7 from distance and playing strong defense. Curry finished one rebound short of a triple-double (17 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists), while Podziemski had a very Podziemski game: He didn't score, but he grabbed seven rebounds, dished out four assists, drew a tackle, and finished the game with a game-high plus/minus of +34 in just 25 minutes.

The ball moved brilliantly – Golden State had 38 assists, although they were a bit sloppy at times – and they outscored Portland 58-41.

You can't ask for much more from an opener.