Durant scores season-high 44 as Warriors edge Kings

LOS ANGELES: Kevin Durant delivered a season-high 44 points as the Golden State Warriors needed a wild finish to hold off the Sacramento Kings 117-116 on Saturday night.

Two-time reigning NBA finals MVP Durant also had a season-high 16 free throws on 17 attempts for the Warriors, who won their second straight after snapping a four-game losing skid on Friday by beating Portland.

Klay Thompson got the winning basket with a put back of his own miss with five seconds remaining in the fourth.

“I don’t know if I got fouled, but who cares I got the putback,” Thompson said. “You’ll take a game-winner any way you can get it I don’t care how ugly it is.”

The Kings made the Warriors work for the victory as De’Aaron Fox made two free throws with 26 seconds remaining to put Sacramento ahead after Thompson missed a 33-footer moments earlier.

Durant converted two free throws with 1:27 left and also had 13 rebounds and seven assists, while Thompson wound up with 31 points.

Thompson shot 12 of 26 with five three-pointers as Stephen Curry missed his ninth straight game because of a strained left groin.

Curry, the two-time MVP, was reexamined Saturday and is expected to resume practising next week with a good chance he would return to game action during an upcoming five-game road trip.

“He’s doing much better and we’re just going to keep taking it day by day,” Kerr said.

Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns had 35 points and 22 rebounds, Derrick Rose came off the bench to score 22 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Chicago Bulls 111-96. — AFP