Lakers-Warriors Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN

(AP) -- Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors opened the season with an easy victory. They would appear to have another favorable matchup against the winless Los Angeles Lakers, who are on the verge of their worst start since moving west.

Set to open their home schedule, the Warriors try to extend the Lakers' woes as these Pacific Division foes meet Saturday night.

Curry racked up 24 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and six steals as Golden State got by Sacramento 95-77 on Wednesday. The Warriors held the Kings to 30.8 percent shooting and forced 27 turnovers, making Steve Kerr a winner in his coaching debut.

"First game, get the first win, that was great. Let's try to get 57 more," said Draymond Green, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds. "Coach has been great, you want to go out there and play hard for him. He's been great with us, he came in and tried to build relationships and really get to know guys. It was important to get him that first win."

Los Angeles (0-3) is still seeking its first victory after getting outscored by an average of 15.0 points in its first three games. The Lakers haven't dropped their first four since opening a franchise-worst 0-7 in 1957-58, when the team was located in Minneapolis.

Los Angeles hung tough against the Clippers but couldn't keep up down the stretch in Friday's 118-111 defeat. Jordan Hill scored 23 points for the Lakers, who went 20 of 28 from the foul line while the Clippers were 38 of 44.

Kobe Bryant finished with 21 after scoring four and shooting 1 of 7 in the fourth quarter.

"We all know he can knock those down," coach Byron Scott said of Bryant, who's averaging 23.7 points. "Those are shots we'd love for him to have again."

Bryant is averaging 30.7 points against the Warriors since the start of 2000-01 for his third-highest mark against any team during that time.

Golden State outscored Los Angeles by an average of 15.0 points in taking three of four meetings last season, claiming its first season series against the Lakers since going 3-2 in 1994-95. Klay Thompson scored a career-high 38 points in a 125-94 victory Oct. 30, and Curry had 30, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in a 112-95 road win April 11.

The Warriors just locked Thompson up through the 2018-19 season on Friday with a four-year extension worth a reported $70 million. Thompson, who scored 19 points against the Kings, made 223 3-pointers last season to finish second in the league behind Curry's 261.

"We're excited to have one of the top young players in the NBA under contract for the next several years," general manager Bob Myers said. "Our ownership group continues to demonstrate the commitment necessary to build a championship caliber team and we anticipate that Klay Thompson will play a major role in our future success and accomplishments."

Thompson was 15 of 31 from 3-point range in the four games against the Lakers last season while Curry made 10 of 19 from beyond the arc. The two will look to take advantage of facing a Los Angeles team that is allowing opponents to knock down 42.6 percent (40 of 94) of their 3s.

Golden State's David Lee (hamstring) and Brandon Rush (back) are both uncertain to be available after missing the first game.

The Warriors haven't opened 2-0 since 2010-11.