Stephen Curry leads Warriors to win over defending champion Celtics

With Stephen Curry as the big star of the game, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 118-112 on Wednesday as both teams warm up for the NBA regular season.

The Warriors scored 52 points in the paint, including Curry's contribution of 27 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Steve Kerr, Warriors coach and gold medalist with the United States in Paris-2024, visited the home of the Celtics for the first time shrouded in controversy over Jayson Tatum's poor participation in the Olympics.

Tatum, 26, shrugged off the controversy and scored 32 points, including five 3-pointers.

Golden State adds its seventh win of the season and fifth straight, in a game where its largest lead was as much as 14 points. However, it was the defensive effort that closed the door for the Celtics in the final minutes.

39 points from LeBron James in the Los Angeles Lakers' defeat

Elsewhere, LeBron James scored 39 points in the Los Angeles Lakers's 131-114 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, while Luka Doncic completed a double-double with 27 points and 13 assists in the Dallas Mavericks's 119-99 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Nikola Jokic posted a triple double with 23 points, 20 rebounds and 16 assists and ended the unbeaten Oklahoma City Thunder (7-1) in the Denver Nuggets 124-122 victory.

In another result, the Indiana Pacers prevailed 118-111 over the Orlando Magic in a clash that had Canadian Bennedict Mathurin as the Pacers' top scorer with 20 points.

For Orlando it is the fourth straight loss, all after a muscle injury to Paolo Blanchero.

Brandon Miller gave the Charlotte Hornets a 108-107 victory with a last-second tip-in against the Detroit Pistons.

Miller, 21, grabbed the rebound after a Grant Williams miss and quickly put the ball on the board to put the Pistons away.

Dominican Karl-Anthony Towns had another stellar day with 34 points and 16 rebounds, however the New York Knicks fell short against the Atlanta Hawks and suffered their fourth loss of the season by a score of 121-116.

Trae Young completed a double-double with 23 points and 10 assists, while Jalen Johnson did it with 23 points and 15 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers have started the season with nine straight wins for the first time in their history with a 131-122 victory over a decimated New Orleans Pelicans, Donovan Mitchell was the top scorer with 29 points.