Warriors begin defending title against rebuilt Rockets

The Golden State Warriors begin their NBA title defense Tuesday night against one of the teams expected to provide the biggest roadblocks in their path, the Houston Rockets, in a nationally televised season opener. Led by the same core that dominated both the regular season and the playoffs last year, the Warriors will seek to become the first champ to repeat since the Miami Heat won back-to-back titles in 2012-13. "Coach (Steve Kerr) has challenged us to focus on the details in how we can get better from last year," Warriors star Stephen Curry noted on the eve of the season.