Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 season opener

On the night they celebrated last year’s accomplishment, the Golden State Warriors began their back-to-back title defense with a victory in the 2018-19 season opener.

It was no ordinary Tuesday night in the Bay Area, as the Golden State Warriors received their 2018 championship rings and sent their third banner to the rafters in four seasons.

Shortly after, there was basketball to be played, in the form of a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite the absence of Russell Westbrook, OKC played it tight but ultimately came up short, losing by a final score of 108-100.

Stephen Curry led the way with 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, going 11-for-20 from the floor and 5-for-9 from 3-point range. Kevin Durant chipped in 27 points, eight boards and six dimes, Klay Thompson added 14 points and Draymond Green finished with two points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The 48 minutes proved to be a crazy way to start the new season. It appeared as though Golden State would run away in a wire-to-wire route, building up a lead as high as 14 before the Thunder slowly but surely crept back into the ballgame thanks to a 15-point third quarter from Paul George that netted them a three-point lead if only for a bit.

In the end, the Dubs took care of business on their home court, locking down on the defensive end while producing their usual mix of beautiful passing and acrobatic finishes around the bucket down the stretch. Here’s a look at three takeaways from the 2018-19 season opener.