The terminal time we saw LeBron James and Stephen Curry facing off in a meaningful game at Staples Center, the longtime friendly rivals were duking it out for a chance to be in last season's playoffs. It was a close game, but nowhere close to the chief phase these two take played on over the course of their careers.

In their heydays, you could almost book NBA Finals appearances for James and Curry each year. But they have some work to do to become back in that location this season.

Curry and the Golden State Warriors won 121-114 in Tuesday'due south season opener, but mostly because Back-scratch'south supporting cast has had a bit longer to come together than James'.

The 2021-22 NBA flavour kicked off earlier in the evening with a rematch from the Eastern Conference semifinals, as the Milwaukee Bucks once again defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 127-104.

Back-scratch led the Warriors with a 21-betoken, 10-aid, 10-rebound triple-double, but he striking just five of 21 shots from the floor. His saving grace was a perfect 9-of-nine at the gratis throw line and stiff games from Jordan Poole (20 points), Damion Lee (fifteen points), Nemanja Bjelica (15 points, 11 rebounds), Andrew Wiggins (12 points) and Andre Iguodala (12 points).

James looked as good equally he did before the ankle injury that toll him 27 games last season -- striking his outset half dozen field goals on the mode to 34 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. According to ESPN Stats & Data, it was James' most makes without a miss to commencement a season in his career.

The problem is, no i else on the Lakers but Anthony Davis (33 points) looked very practiced at all. James and Davis combined to score 67 points and shoot 57%. The residual of the squad mustered just 47 points on 37% shooting.

No other Laker fifty-fifty scored in double figures, with newcomer Carmelo Anthony (nine points) coming the closest.

Russell Westbrook'due south homecoming was underwhelming, at all-time. The 50.A. native didn't score until four minutes before halftime, missed nine of his thirteen shots and ended with a game-worst plus/minus of -23.

The Lakers have been treating this early part of the season as something of a wearing apparel rehearsal, preaching patience and understanding every bit they try to integrate a new supporting bandage around their two superstars.

But for a team with aspirations of getting back to the main stage, this would've been better every bit a airtight performance.

Draymond Greenish, 2 seasons removed from last making the NBA Finals, knows getting a former champion dorsum to the Finals won't be like shooting fish in a barrel.

"It's very hard," Green said Tuesday following the win. "The teams that have done that or guy -- LeBron James -- that has done that have been very taken for granted. It's almost impossible to do, which is why you don't see it often. Information technology's a tough thing. But both teams are trying to become back there. That'due south the goal."

-- Ramona Shelburne

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Warriors 121, Lakers 114

Westbrook'due south crude debut

LOS ANGELES -- After a shaky preseason when it seemed like the merely consistency to Russell Westbrook's game was his penchant for turning the ball over and missing open up shots, the Lakers' star offseason acquisition struggled much the same in the season opener. While LeBron James and Anthony Davis locked back into their championship course -- combining for 67 points -- Westbrook undid much of their product on his own, as the Lakers were outscored by 23 points in the 35 minutes Westbrook was on the flooring.

It was such a rough debut -- shooting 4-for-13 from the field with four turnovers, four fouls and a handful of accident bys on the perimeter -- for Westbrook that Lakers motorbus Frank Vogel threw Avery Bradley in to try to change up the energy in the fourth quarter with Fifty.A. sputtering. Bradley had merely signed with the Lakers on Mon and had just participated in a pregame walk-through with the team prior to getting those crunch fourth dimension minutes with Westbrook on the bench.

At best, it was a soft launch for these new-look Lakers. At worst, a sign that this squad will have its fair share of growing pains earlier making the players fit.

-- Dave McMenamin

Warriors fix biggest flaw for one night

LOS ANGELES -- The Warriors never found a way to set up their biggest flaw final season.

Stephen Back-scratch had one of the best campaigns of his career, about winning his third MVP trophy; but when he wasn't on the floor or didn't carry the offensive load, the Warriors struggled due to a lack of depth.

I game into the new flavour, information technology appears Back-scratch and the Warriors have turned over a new leaf. The positive signs for the Warriors were written all over the back half of a solid 121-114 improvement win over the Lakers in Tuesday dark'due south opener. With Curry going just 5-for-21 from the field, the Warriors found an answer in the course of a multifariousness of bench players who will exist key to their flavor. Third-year guard Hashemite kingdom of jordan Poole, who figures to stay in the starting lineup as Klay Thompson continues his ACL and Achilles tendon rehab, bounced back afterward a rough first half and finished with xx points. Veteran Andre Iguodala made solid plays all over the floor while giving Steve Kerr 22 minutes off the bench. Nemanja Bjelica had a terrific debut while racking upwardly 15 points and eleven rebounds in 26 minutes off the demote.

After a flavour when the Warriors repeatedly struggled to win without Curry'southward luminescence, it's a dainty sign of things to come up if Golden Land tin can rely on what appears to be a deeper, more talented roster to choice up the slack.

-- Nick Friedell

Bucks 127, Nets 104

An NBA preseason consumed by off-court machinations kindly gave style on Tuesday night to basketball. In resounding fashion, the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks reminded the league that whatever storms brew off the floor, they still dominate on information technology.

Opening nights feature marquee matchups, and the Eastern Briefing opener did not disappoint. The Bucks and Brooklyn Nets accept adult an intriguing rivalry, after facing off in five of the postseason's most consequential minutes in a Game 7 overtime of their briefing semifinals boxing terminal flavor.

Brooklyn is a big-market place squad stacked with a slew of All-Stars, past and present, caused on the open market. Milwaukee is more of a homegrown team in 1 of the league'south smaller outposts, headlined past Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, a tandem who have grown up together with the Bucks since 2013. The Bucks squeaked past in their meeting in June, but the Nets enter the flavour as a consensus favorite in the E, with the Bucks as, decisively, their stiffest contest.

Antetokounmpo might take relinquished the regular-season MVP award to the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, just the Bucks big man launched his reclamation campaign with a fury by tallying 32 points and fourteen rebounds. Kevin Durant was similarly productive in the Nets' loss, with 32 points of his own.

Neither Brooklyn nor Milwaukee is without its worries. The Kyrie Irving situation will hover over the Nets until information technology's resolved, while the Bucks will accept to detect some bench depth -- and more immediately, they lost floor general Jrue Holiday to a heel contusion in the showtime half.

But for a night, two contenders took to the court and renewed their clash for briefing supremacy -- and possibly a claim as a title favorite.

-- Kevin Arnovitz

Dealing with injuries, Bucks lean on creative lineups

MILWAUKEE -- The Bucks were already a bit short-handed heading into the contest, with Bobby Portis, Semi Ojeleye and Donte DiVincenzo all sidelined considering of injuries. Merely the team'southward depth was pushed even further subsequently Jrue Holiday suffered a bruised heel in the 2d quarter and did non render. Holiday'southward absenteeism forced coach Mike Budenholzer into some unusual lineup combinations right out of the gate.

The lineup changes worked out, thanks to some strong contributions from the end of Milwaukee'due south bench to hold off Brooklyn's accuse in the third quarter and complement some other dominant performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Jordan Nwora, a second-round draft option in 2020, scored 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting and grabbed six rebounds while playing a surprising 26 minutes. He even blocked Kevin Durant going to the rim at ane indicate, leading to a fast pause and iii-pointer on the other finish by Grayson Allen.

The Bucks kicking off a three-game road swing on Thursday against the Miami Heat.

-- Jamal Collier

Missing Irving, Nets lack cohesion in opener

MILWAUKEE -- The imprint night at Fiserv Forum started off with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks gawking at their championship rings that actually transform into necklace pendants.

Then the Brooklyn Nets came onto the floor equally the favorites to acquire what Antetokounmpo now has. But Brooklyn opened the season looking like they were opening preparation camp in San Diego.

And unlike when they were in Southern California for a week, the Nets didn't have All-Star guard Kyrie Irving. The Nets fell backside 31-12 and and then got within v points just prior to halftime, before somewhen losing by 23. Patty Mills did his best to fill Irving'south big shoes, burial vii of 7 3s in his Nets debut. But Antetokounmpo bullied the Nets with a dominant performance, and the defending champs looked similar the more cohesive team.

Relax, though, Nets fans. Statements can be fabricated only championships aren't won on opening night. Kevin Durant and James Harden will find their groove. They just know that the path to their rings might be harder than expected, particularly without Irving.

-- Ohm Youngmisuk