The Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings 122-114 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, on Friday, securing their first win of the season.

The Warriors' win came from the dominant performance by Stephen Curry, who shot 14-for-19, including 7-for-10 from downtown, to drop 41 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. He made at least one 3-pointer in 247 straight games, his 3,400th triple in the regular season in his career, and at least three triples in the first half for the 547th time, all with absolute leads in NBA history.

Curry's excellent work was why the team built their victory in the second and the third quarters when they outscored the opponents 75-55. He made nine of his 11 field goals (FGs) to contribute 27 points during those two periods. Not only did he pose a great threat outside the 3-point line, he also did an efficient finishing job around the rim via constant, smart cuttings.

Curry's teammates performed better in Friday's game than they did in the last season opener on Tuesday, especially in the third quarter. Klay Thompson shot 4-for-5 to add 10 points for the team during that period; Moses Moddy drained two 3-pointers; Chris Paul delivered five assists.

The Kings had the league's best offensive rating during the 2022-23 regular season, but the Warriors broke that bubble in the Western Conference first-round playoffs by separating Domantas Sabonis from the rest of the team. The Warriors played that trick again on Friday. Though Sabonis had a double-double of 19 points and 18 rebounds in addition to seven assists, he missed eight of 15 FG attempts after having to attack in isolation off the dribble again and again. As a result, the Kings' offense was often wrinkled when it was launched around him.

The Warriors saw their lead grow to 18 points (111-93) for the third time when Paul made a layup at 5:54 in the fourth quarter. Then De'Aaron Fox took over the Kings' offense, just like he did multiple times in the series last season. He scored 22 of the Kings' 30 points in the final period, nearly outscoring the whole Warriors. He struggled in the middle range, where he went 1-for-5, but Fox pierced through the opponents' defense like a hot knife cutting into butter. The Warriors had no one able to match him in all of speed, size and power.

When Fox made his fourth free throw of the game in fourth quarter, his side trailed by only five points (117-112) and there were 75 seconds left. Unfortunately, he missed his next shot at the free throw line. Then in the following possession, Curry was left open at the 3-point line when Andrew Wiggins drew attention from two defenders. He passed the ball to Curry, who made the big-time shot that sealed the deal for the Warriors.

Head coach Michael Brown said multiple times before the 2023-24 season that he wanted the Kings to become a better defensive team. They had a series of defensive highlights on this end of the game, especially in double-teaming Curry and Paul, but that was more of a good use of their youth and energy instead of playing the right defense. For example, no good defense would leave Curry open outside more than once; neither would solid defenders lose their focus after the opponents make no more than four passes.

Other games on Friday (away teams come first):

Detroit Pistons 111-99 Charlotte Hornets

Denver Nuggets 108-104 Memphis Grizzlies

New York Knicks 126-120 Atlanta Hawks

Miami Heat 111-119 Boston Celtics

Oklahoma City Thunder 108-105 Cleveland Cavaliers

Toronto Raptors 103-104 Chicago Bulls

Houston Rockets 122-126 San Antonio Spurs

Brooklyn Nets 120-125 Dallas Mavericks

Los Angeles Clippers 118-120 Utah Jazz

Orlando Magic 102-97 Portland Trail Blazers