James Scores First Lakers Win, Curry Explodes With 51 Points

LOS ANGELES, United States- LeBron James had 19 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as Los Angeles clobbered the Phoenix Suns 131-113, giving the four-time MVP his first win as a Laker.

At the same time, Stephen Curry had 11 three pointers en route to a 51-point performance as the Golden State Warriors throttled the Washington Wizards 144-122 on Wednesday night.

The two-time NBA MVP Curry moved into fifth on the league's all-time three point scoring list and heard chants of "MVP, MVP" from the Warriors' faithful.

James scored all his points in three quarters and likely would have posted his 74th career triple double if he hadn't sat out the fourth with the game already in hand.

But this Laker win, he said, was by committee as seven players reached double figures.

"It feels great to win, period," he said. "But it feels good for us to know that what we have been doing over training camp and these first few games of the season that we are continuing to get better. 

"We got better tonight and we are going to try and continue that going forward."

Lance Stephenson had 23 points, JaVale McGee added 20 points, and Kyle Kuzma 17 for the Lakers.

James signed with the Lakers three months ago after leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to four straight NBA final appearances, including their first championship in 2016.

James joins a Lakers club that has missed the playoffs in each of their last five seasons, the longest playoff drought in franchise history for the 16-time NBA champions.

Second quarter

"We stuck to the game plan," James said. "We were able to get them out of it in the later stages of the first quarter, and then took it into the second quarter and into the half, all the way to the end of the game."

Devin Booker led the Suns with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists but left the game in the third quarter with a sore hamstring. Deandre Ayton, the first draft pick this year, had 22 points and 11 rebounds.

Los Angeles was without suspended guard Rajon Rondo for his role in a heated fist-fight with Houston Rockets Chris Paul on Saturday night.

They were also missing Brandon Ingram who was slapped with a four-game ban for starting the melee, then, after being separated, charging back into the kerfuffle and throwing a wild sucker punch from behind at an unsuspecting Houston player.

Phoenix committed four turnovers in a 17-2 Los Angeles outburst that put the Lakers up 63-43 with 3:51 left in the first half.

The Lakers led 76-54 at the break and Phoenix never got closer than 16 in the third quarter.

Elsewhere, Curry led the champions to another emphatic victory.

"He was, I don't even know how to describe what I witnessed tonight, amazing, video game stuff," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "Nobody has ever done what he is doing."

Curry, who played just three quarters against the Wizards on Wednesday, drained his 11th three from 32 feet late in the third quarter.

"To have a night like tonight where everything is clicking, I just want to embrace it," said Curry, who now has 2,162 career threes. "I put a lot of work in over the summer and I got a great group of guys that I get to go to work with every night.

"I am just playing with confidence and playing within myself." 

It marked his sixth career 50-point game and he finished just three shy of his career high when he scored 54 points against New York in 2013.

Curry shot 15-for-24 from the field, 11-for-16 from beyond the arc and 10-for-10 from the free throw line.

Durant assists

He chipped in five rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes of action.

"The last three in the first quarter was probably the funniest thing I've experienced on the court," Curry said. 

"Two guys on our team are yelling at the time, from the time I was at the free throw line: 'Don't pass it. Don't pass it. You better shoot it.' 

"That's going through my head while I'm dribbling down. That's kind of all the motivation you need just to launch it. Thankfully it went in."

Kevin Durant added 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Draymond Green added 12 assists to help two-time defending champions finish with 37 total assists.

"It was a joy to be on the same court with that. That was sick," Durant said of Curry.

Curry has scored 30 or more points in four of his first five games to start the 2018-19 season for the Warriors who have won four consecutive games against the Wizards.

"It's just one of those nights you just have so much fun playing the game," Curry said. "Taking some dare shots and trying to sustain that for as long as I'm out there on the floor."

Curry's third three of the night in the first quarter moved him past Jamal Crawford (2,153) for fifth place.

The Warriors (4-1) have defeated the Wizards (1-3) for the 14th time in their last 16 matchups.

Harden injury

Bradley Beal finished with 23 points while Kelly Oubre came off the bench to score 17 points in the loss.

At the same time, Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 35 points to help the Toronto Raptors improve to 5-0 with a 112-105 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, equalling their best start in franchise history.

Jonas Valanciunas scored 16 points, Serge Ibaka had 15 and Norman Powell added 10 for the Raptors, who also won five straight to start the 2015-16 season.

Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Derrick Rose had 16 and Taj Gibson 13 for Minnesota.

In Houston, Donovan Mitchell scored 38 points to power the Utah Jazz to a 100-89 win over the Rockets who struggled without the suspended Paul and then they lost James Harden, the reigning NBA MVP, in the fourth quarter with an injury.

Harden, who is expected to be looked at by team doctors on Thursday, said his hamstring is sore but the injury is not serious. "Just being cautious," he said. 

With Harden out the game, the Jazz regained control, scoring the next 10 points to make it 94-79 and cruised to victory.

The Rockets had to rely on 34-year-old Carmelo Anthony who finished with 22 points. Harden scored a team-high 29.

Paul finished up a two-game suspension for his role in the fight with Lakers Rondo.

In Atlanta, Kent Bazemore scored 32 points as the Atlanta Hawks rallied from a 26 point first half deficit to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 111-104.

Bazemore delivered a clutch monster dunk with just over a minute to go and Trae Young contributed 17 points in the win.