Thompson shoots his way into record book
CHICAGO — Klay Thompson broke teammate Stephen Curry’s NBA record with 14 3-pointers and finished with 52 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 149-124 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.
Thompson set the mark when he nailed a three with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter. He was then mobbed by teammates as the players headed to the sideline for a timeout, with the Warriors leading 113-69. Curry hit 13 3-pointers in a win over New Orleans on Nov. 7, 2016. Thompson played only 27 minutes and sat out the fourth quarter.
He had been in a shooting slump to start the season, making just 5 of 36 from behind the arc in the Warriors’ first seven games. Thompson was 14 for 24 against the Bulls.
The All-Star guard busted out of the slump quickly with 22 points in the first quarter and had 36 at the half as Golden State was up 92-50. It was the second-highest scoring half by an NBA team. Phoenix scored 107 in the first half of a 173-143 victory over Denver in 1990.
Curry scored 23. Kevin Durant had 14 points and eight assists. And Chicago product Alfonzo McKinnie added 19 points and 10 rebounds as the two-time defending NBA champions improved to 7-1.
Zach LaVine and Antonio Blakeney led the Bulls with 21 points, and Wendell Carter Jr. scored 18.
Chicago probably would have been overmatched even at full strength. But with Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn, Bobby Portis and Denzel Valentine all out with injuries, this one got ugly in a hurry.
Thompson, whose previous season high was 19 points, nearly doubled that in the first half alone. And the Warriors set an NBA record for 3-pointers in a half with 17.
Thompson was hit six 3s in the opening quarter. He hit his first three attempts from long range and scored 11 as the Warriors grabbed a 15-5 lead. But he was just getting started.
He surpassed his previous season scoring high when he buried a 3 off the dribble with just under three minutes left in the quarter, giving him 22 points and the Warriors a 36-21 edge.
Bucks 124, Raptors 109
MILWAUKEE — No Giannis Antetokounmpo, no problem for the Milwaukee Bucks.
With the way they’re shooting from the three-point line, the Bucks look like they can beat just about anybody in the NBA.
Ersan Ilyasova scored a seasonhigh 19 points and the Bucks cruised without the injured Antetokounmpo to beat the Toronto Raptors 124-109 on Monday night in a showdown of the NBA’s last undefeated teams.
Milwaukee improved to 7-0 in a marquee matchup that lost some lustre with Antetokounmpo in concussion protocol and Raptors star Kawhi Leonard sitting out to rest.
The Bucks’ start to the season matches the 1971-72 club for best in franchise history. Milwaukee made up for Antetokounmpo’s absence with another strong showing from the perimeter, with Malcolm Brogdon and Eric Bledsoe chipping in 17 points each.
“Of course we have more confidence when [Antetokounmpo] is on the floor,” Brogdon said. “But we have a lot of confidence even when he’s not on the floor due to the system and due to the confidence that [coach Mike Budenholzer] gives us.”
Serge Ibaka scored 30 points for Toronto, which had its franchise-best 6-0 start snapped. Pascal Siakam added 22.
They still couldn’t keep up with the Bucks, who eclipsed the 110-point mark for the seventh straight game even without the high-flying Antetokounmpo, who averages 25.0 points and 14.2 rebounds.
Ilyasova, starting for Antetokounmpo, helped pick up the slack, setting the tone with an active night all over the floor and adding a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Bucks didn’t stop moving when they had the ball either, especially at the three-point line. Milwaukee’s 19 three-pointers tied a franchise record that was previously reached just three days ago against Minnesota.