Steph Curry Serves 33 As Warriors Beat Lakers, Celtics Set Record In 76ers Victory

The Golden State Warriors began their NBA title defense in fine fashion as they cruised to a 123-109 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in San Francisco.

Stephen Curry led the hosts with 33 points while Andrew Wiggins also contributed with 20 of his own to guide the seven-time champions to the important win.

Klay Thompson finished the game with 18 points for the champions, Poole notched 12 points and seven assists off the bench while Curry also managed seven assists, six rebounds and four steals.

LeBron James, who hopes to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time points scoring record this season, finished with 31 points for the Lakers.

The 37-year old moves on to 37,093 points, 1,294 shy of Abdul-Jabbar's record that has stood since 1984.

His point tally was far from enough to stop the Lakers from losing their opening game for the sixth season running.

Elsewhere, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each hit 35 points as the Boston Celtics opened the season with a 126-117 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

James Harden led Philadelphia with 35 points while Joel Embiid - who won last season's scoring title by averaging 30.6 points per game - finished on 26.

- Wednesday's fixtures -

Indiana Pacers v Washington Wizards

Detroit Pistons v Orlando Magic

Miami Heat v Chicago Bulls

Toronto Raptors v Cleveland Cavaliers

Memphis Grizzlies v New York Knicks

Atlanta Hawks v Houston Rockets

Brooklyn Nets v New Orleans Pelicans

Minnesota Timberwolves v Oklahoma City Thunder

San Antonio Spurs v Charlotte Hornets

Utah Jazz v Denver Nuggets

Phoenix Suns v Dallas Mavericks

Sacramento Kings v Portland Trail Blazers