Canelo not thinking GGG, eyeing 3rd weight class belt
OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry had 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Kevin Durant added 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and the Golden State Warriors opened their quest for a three-peat by holding off the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-100 on Tuesday night (Wednesday, PHL time).
Golden State needed a strong fourth quarter to win on a festive night after the two-time defending champions received their 2018 rings in a pregame ceremony shortly before tipoff and began the final season at Oracle Arena before a move across San Francisco Bay to new Chase Center.
"It's a great move for the organization. We know that but this place is special, so we want to make sure this is a special season," coach Steve Kerr said.
Klay Thompson shot just 5-of-20 for 14 points while center Damian Jones scored 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting for the Warriors in his first career start and 26th game.
Paul George scored 27 points for the Thunder, who struggled to find an offensive groove while missing star Russell Westbrook because of knee surgery last month.
Oklahoma City trailed by 10 at the break then came out of halftime making 9-of12 shots to go ahead 69-66 before the Warriors rallied.
Versatile Warriors All-Star Draymond Green, limited during the preseason by a sore knee, wound up with two points, 13 rebounds and five assists in nearly 33 minutes. Kerr plans to monitor his minutes in the early games.
"He told me if you look tired, I'm taking you out, so, maybe I'll try to hide it," Green joked at morning shootaround.
Curry, who shot 11-for20 with five three's, notched 17 30-point performances during his injury-shortened 2017-18 season.
These teams met in a season opener for the first time — though the Warriors won on the road against the Seattle SuperSonics in 1983.
Golden State lost last year's opener at Oracle after a title run, 122-121 to the Rockets.
UP NEXT
Thunder: At Clippers on Friday (Saturday, PHL time). Warriors: At Utah on Friday (Saturday, PHL time).
NEW YORK — Canelo Alvarez has never fought in Madison Square Garden. He's never fought on the East Coast. And he's really never fought after as big a win as he had in September against Gennady Golovkin.
So when Triple G's name is brought up to the ruler of the middleweight division, Alvarez sort of shrugs and instead begins talking about his December 15 meeting with Rocky Fielding, the WBA super middleweight belt holder.
"It's the Mecca of boxing," Alvarez said Tuesday. "I have wanted to fight there for many years, and this is a great opportunity to give the fans from Latin America and Mexico a great fight.
"This is a fight I made because I want to make history as one of the top Mexicans to win three titles. He is the current WBA champion. ... I asked for the opportunity to fight at 168 pounds. For me, it's the history. Only 10 Mexican champions have titles in three weight classes. I am taking a big risk entering his comfort zone."
Perhaps. But Alvarez, who had a draw and then a narrow victory over Golovkin in his last two fights — sandwiched by a suspension for testing positive for performance enhancers that his camp said came from tainted meat — isn't taking that big a gamble.
Fielding is 27-1 with 15 knockouts, but he's never faced anyone close to the level of Alvarez. And Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 knockouts) has the edge in experience, speed and ring savvy.
That could lead back to folks concentrating on Triple G and a potential third fight rather than on the matchup in the Garden. Alvarez scoffs at such a notion.
And that Alvarez would challenge Fielding came as "a big surprise" to the Brit who won his belt in July by stopping previously undefeated Tyron Zeuge in Fielding's first world title shot. He goes from that relatively obscure matchup to taking on what Fielding calls "the face of boxing."
Fielding never thought of saying no to fighting Alvarez and is comfortable with being an underdog. That was the case when he went to Zeuge's turf in Germany and beat him for the belt.