NBA: Stephen Curry scores 40 points in Golden State Warriors win
Last Updated: 28/10/15 7:27am
Reigning MVP Stephen Curry started the NBA season in stunning fashion with 40 points in a 111-95 win for the champion Golden State Warriors.
Curry hit five three-pointers as the Warriors beat the New Orleans Pelicans to start the defence of their title in front of a packed Oracle Arena crowd.
The Warriors started quickly, clearly not put off by an elaborate celebration before tip-off as their championship banner was raised to the roof, building a 10-point lead by half-time.
They extended that to 19 by the end of the third period with Curry dominating proceedings - he had six rebounds and seven assists to go with his points haul.
Back-up centre Festus Ezeli provided a spark off the bench with 13 points, helping the Warriors overcome a cold shooting night for starters Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green, who combined to hit only nine of their 32 attempts.
Anthony Davis, who is expected to be one of Green's main challengers for MVP honours this season, scored 18 points for the Pelicans but hit only four of his 20 shots and struggled in the paint, pulling down only six rebounds as the Warriors dominated the boards.
Ish Smith came off the bench for 17 points and nine assists for New Orleans, who were without starting guard Tyreke Evans, sidelined for at least four weeks after knee surgery.
LeBron James scored 25 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers but that was not enough for victory as they went down 97-95 to the Chicago Bulls.
And Andre Drummond started the season in style with 18 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 106-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks,
