OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors built a big early lead and overcame an injury to star point guard Stephen Curry to thump the Houston Rockets 104-78 in the opener of the Western Conference first-round series on Saturday.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven between the defending NBA champions and the eighth seed in the West is Monday night in Oakland.

Curry, the league's leading scorer, had 24 points, including 16 in the first quarter, before twisting his right ankle in the second quarter of the Warriors' 40th win in 42 home dates this season.

The league's reigning Most Valuable Player went to the locker room for examination just before halftime and returned to play the first 2:47 of the third quarter before Warriors coach Steve Kerr abruptly called a timeout and took his star out of the game.

By that point, Golden State had built a commanding 65-39 lead.

Shortly thereafter, Curry was sent back to the locker room and didn't return to the Warriors' bench until after the fourth quarter began.

He never re-entered the game, and in fact left early to return to the locker room two minutes before the final horn.

In a rematch of last year’s Western Conference finals, the Warriors hounded Houston into 2-of-13 shooting from the field to begin the game and frustrated the Rockets to the point that point guard Patrick Beverley scuffled briefly with Curry just 5:29 into the game.

Both players received technical fouls.

The Warriors responded like champs, getting two 3-pointers from Curry in a 14-6 burst that broke the game open at 25-10 in the 10th minute.

With Curry single-handedly outscoring the Rockets, the Warriors led 33-15 at quarter's end, having limited Houston to 6-of-20 shooting from the field.

Holding Rockets star James Harden to four points on 2-for-9 shooting from the floor, the Warriors went on to build a 60-33 halftime advantage, but not before getting a scare from Curry.

Attempting to deny Harden on a drive to the hoop, Curry turned his right ankle in the final two minutes of the half in what appeared to be a minor incident.

He missed the final 1:07 of the half, having already burned the Rockets for 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

Curry got the green light to start the third quarter, but it was clear Kerr had a close eye on him. When the first 2:47 didn't go particularly well -- one rebound, one assist, one turnover -- Kerr pulled the plug, calling his star aside at a timeout to explain his thinking.

Despite Curry's absence, the game was never in doubt over the final 21-plus minutes.

The Rockets did trim a 29-point deficit to as little as 15 on a 3-pointer by Trevor Ariza with still 2:45 left in the third quarter.

Harden finally caught fire during what was a 24-10 Rockets run, hitting three 3-pointers and 13 points in all.

But the Warriors scored the next nine points, three on a 24-footer by Draymond Green, to re-establish control at 82-58 in the final seconds of the quarter.

Green had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors, who beat the Rockets for the 13th time in their last 14 meetings, including a 4-1 victory in last year's Western finals.

Green received the game's third technical foul in the fourth quarter for throwing down Rockets reserve big man Donatas Motiejunas.

Klay Thompson, hitting two 3-pointers, added 16 points and backup Marreese Speights had 12 for the Warriors, who set an NBA record with 73 regular-season wins to secure top seeding in the Western playoffs.

The Warriors hit 10 of their 25 3-point attempts, outscoring the Rockets 30-18 from beyond the arc. Houston was just 6 of 22 on 3-pointers.

Harden, who missed 12 of his 19 shots from the floor, led Houston with 17 points. Center Dwight Howard totaled 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Backup center Clint Capela led all rebounders with 12 for the Rockets, who needed to win their last three regular-season games to gain the final playoff spot in the West.

The Rockets shot just 35.7 percent from the field for the game.

NOTES: Even after having won the 2015 title before enjoying a record 73-win regular season, Warriors coach Steve Kerr had a warning for his team on the eve of the playoffs. "There is a reason, when teams win a championship, that they go nuts, pour champagne on each other and act like fools," he preached. "Because it's hard." ... Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff's message to his team about the Warriors: "They have weaknesses." ... The series matches the top two scorers from the regular season -- Warriors PG Stephen Curry (30.1 points per game) and Rockets SG James Harden (29.0) -- for just the fifth time in the playoffs since 1976. ... A No. 8 seed has not upset a No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs since 2012, but both first-round series were extended to seven games just two years ago. ... The big difference in the matchup in last year's Western Conference Finals: The Warriors outgunned the Rockets 174-126 on 3-pointers, a 48-point advantage in a series Golden State outscored Houston by just 41 total points. ... Both teams entered the series with their top 13 players healthy and in uniform.