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Nelson returns to Warriors' sideline

Nov 1, 2006 - 4:40 PM LA Lakers (1-0) at Golden State (0-0) 10:30 pm EST

OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- Believe it or not, Don Nelson is back with the Golden State Warriors.

At age 66, Nelson guides the Warriors in their season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

Nelson begins his second tenure in the Bay Area and 28th season as an NBA head coach. From the 1988-89 season through the 1994-95 campaign, he guided Golden State to four playoff appearances. Nelson resigned after 45 games of the 1995 campaign and the Warriors have not been in the postseason since.

Prior to rejoining Golden State, Nelson spent six full campaigns - and parts of two others - with Dallas. The highlight of his stint there were four straight 50-win seasons before stepping down 64 games into the 2004-05 campaign.

Other additions during the offseason besides Nelson were first-round draft pick Patrick O'Bryant and free agent Dajuan Wagner, who averaged 13.4 points during exhibition play for the Warriors.

Golden State went 5-1 in the preseason.

Meanwhile, the Lakers will be in the second of back-to-back games. They opened the campaign with a suprising 114-106 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday without superstar Kobe Bryant, who will also miss this contest due to soreness in his right knee.

Lamar Odom tied a career high with 34 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and handed out six assists for Los Angeles, which rallied to overcome a 19-point first-quarter deficit.

Andrew Bynum added 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists in his first career start and offseason acquisition Maurice Evans had 17 points for the Lakers, who shot 55 percent (46-of-83) overall. In his debut, rookie Jordan Farmar chipped in six points in 14 minutes.

Los Angeles captured all four meetings with Golden State last season.