THE FACT: The Warriors set a new team record for their biggest opening-night victory, breaking the old mark of 28 points, set in 1967 and matched in 1978.
THE LEAD: Klay Thompson scored a career-high 38 points on just 19 shots and David Lee added 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Golden State Warriors easily dismissed the Los Angeles Lakers, 125-94, Wednesday.
QUOTABLE: "It felt great. I was hyped before the game. I was so excited. This is what we live for, these opening nights."
-- Thompson.
THE STAT: Andre Iguodala was brought to Oakland to serve as a "glue guy" who could cement the Warriors' place among the Western Conference's elite clubs this season, and Wednesday was a good start. Even though he carded modest individual stats -- seven points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block -- the Warriors were plus-28 in 28 minutes with the swingman on the floor.
TURNING POINT: Thompson set the tone from the opening tap, knocking down his first 3-pointer after just 63 seconds. The third-year guard eventually matched the Lakers in first-quarter scoring, with each getting 16 points. Golden State took a 26-16 lead into the quarter break and never led by less than double digits in the final 34 1/2 minutes.
HOT: Thompson finished the night shooting 15-for-19 overall, 5-for-7 on 3-pointers. Still needing a point to top his previous best as a professional -- a 34-point night against San Antonio in Game 2 of last season's Western Conference semifinals -- Thompson took over for a three-possession run late in the third quarter. First, he dropped a jumper in the face of Steve Blake, then hit a step-back turnaround and finally capped it off with one of two at the free-throw line to reach 38.
QUOTABLE II: "I knew during the pre-game [warm-ups]. I was hitting everything. I probably shot about 95 percent. You have days like that, you just know it's going to carry over on the court. . . . When you're scoring like that, and your teammates are finding you, there's nothing better, as a shooter."
-- Thompson.
FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Toney Douglas had 13 points, four rebounds and four assists in his Warriors debut, a marked improvement on his preseason numbers, when he shot just 24.1 percent from the floor in six games. Douglas' solid work also helped enable the Warriors to limit the wear and tear for star Stephen Curry (10 points, six assists in 24 minutes) with big road trip looming Thursday to face the Clippers.
BAD MOVE: Lakers point guard Steve Nash was held out of the game by coach Mike D'Antoni as a precautionary measure. Los Angeles is trying to maximize the health of the 39-year-old Nash after the eight-time All-Star only played 50 games last season with a variety of ailments, but in the short term, it cost the Lakers a key component on a night where they were going to have to try to outgun the Warriors.
INSIDE THE ARENA: Film star Chris Tucker sat courtside next to Warriors co-owner Peter Guber. Former 49ers and Raiders Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott also made an appearance on the overhead jumbotron. And Mychal Thompson, Lakers radio broadcaster and dad of Klay, made a brief post-game appearance in the Warriors' locker room to congratulate his son.
QUOTABLE III: "He was probably a little salty they lost. Good win, though."
-- Thompson on the reaction his big night elicited from his dad.
ROOKIE WATCH: Ognjen Kuzmic, the lower of Golden State's two 2012 second-round draft picks, made his NBA debut in eventful fashion, with three points, two fouls and three turnovers in 10 minutes.
NOTABLE: The Lakers never led . . . Golden State shot 52.5 percent from inside the 3-point arc, but were actually slightly better (55.6 percent) from distance. . . . The Warriors drew 19,596 to Oracle Arena, their 39th consecutive sellout. . . . Jodie Meeks, who started in Nash's spot, and Xavier Henry each had 14 points to lead Los Angeles.
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