Durant, Thompson head Warriors to 2-0 series lead

Stephen Curry watched another lopsided win from the bench in sheer delight, wearing a sport coat and big smile.

The steady hands of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson certainly have made the two-time MVP’s absence far less daunting for the defending champions so far in these playoffs.

Durant sparked a decisive thirdquarter run on the way to 32 points, Thompson added 31 points and five assists in another superb playoff performance and the Golden State Warriors rallied in the second half to beat the San Antonio Spurs 116-101 on Monday night for a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

As Curry remains out likely for the entire series nursing a sprained left knee, the Warriors used all the offensive power they had to take both home games in the best-of-seven series.

‘‘No one can make up Steph’s contributions individually,’’ Thompson said. ‘‘That’s got to be done as a team and even then it’s hard with the way he can shoot the ball.’’

Thompson has found his touch after missing two weeks in March with a broken right thumb.

Meanwhile Dwyane Wade turned in a vintage performance, scoring 28 points to end the Philadelphia 76ers’ 17-game winning streak and lead the Miami Heat to a 113-103 Game 2 win over Philadelphia in the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs.

Playing without injured All-Star centre Joel Embiid for the 10th straight game, the Sixers nearly pulled off an epic comeback and rallied from 16 down to just two points late in the fourth.

Wade buried two big buckets down the stretch that pushed back the Sixers and tied the series as it shifts to Miami for Game 3 on Thursday (Friday NZT).

The Sixers lost for the first time since March 13 to Indiana. They won 16 straight to end the regular season and the first game of the playoffs.