PORTLAND, Ore. – The Trail Blazers’ pregame hype video was narrated by Bruce Lee’s famous quote, “Be water, my friend.”

Empty your mind, be formless. Formless, like water.

The game didn’t exactly go smoothly, but the tide eventually turned the Warriors’ way. The match saw Golden State miss its first eight field goal attempts, Draymond Green’s first technical foul of the season, 33 combined turnovers and Portland go 8 of 34 from 3, and it ended with the Warriors sailing in the second half.

Golden State ultimately wore down the Blazers with its up-tempo style and depth. They didn’t face their toughest test, but the Warriors opened their 2024-25 season – and a new phase of their dynasty – with a stunning 139-104 victory.

Against the Portland Trail Blazers, considered one of the worst teams in the league, the Warriors initially struggled to gain a lead, but took a 12-point lead at halftime and extended that to 29 .

Steph Curry (17 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds) narrowly missed his 11th career triple-double on his franchise’s 16th opening night. Buddy Hield scored a team-high 22 points in 15 minutes and Andrew Wiggins added 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting. The Warriors, who emphasize heavy 3-point shooting, made 20 of their 48 three-pointers (41.7%). And their strength, touted as the club’s greatest strength, was on display as they led 70-37 off the bench. Golden State assisted on 38 of its 48 made field goals.

In an era without Klay Thompson and with a host of new faces both on the field and on the bench, Golden State started Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis in an effort to evolve into more defensive minded identity.

The opening group fell behind 12-3 while their first eight shots clattered. Curry failed on two open looks, but the spacing issues of this combination were confirmed.

Steve Kerr used eleven players in the first quarter alone and then started Moses Moody – the underdog in the opening phase – at the start of the second quarter. Kerr likes to keep his rotations to around 10 players, leaving Moody on the sidelines once again for now.

Hield, one of three new veterans on the team, provided a jolt off the bench. He made four of his first six 3-point attempts and scored 14 points in 10 minutes of the first half. He was part of Golden State’s bench unit that took advantage of the starters’ weakness and gave the Warriors the lead.

As the Warriors gained momentum, the game picked up steam. They want to play fast and increase the volume on their 3s, and they’ve done both. Still, turnovers of possession often ended in missed layups or turnovers, and three-pointers — even open ones — often went wrong.

As the game’s sea level rose in the second quarter, it crashed at Draymond Green’s feet. Deni Avdija spun out of control on a quick counterattack and stumbled into Green, whose elbow caught the Blazers forward in the neck area. The contact was unintentional and Green landed on the hardwood, but Green was warned for a foul. After a minute of arguing with both referees, during which Kerr shooed Green away from one, the power forward received his first technical foul of the year.