Thompson scores 34 as Warriors win in OKC
OKLAHOMA CITY — Klay Thompson scored 34 points to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-95 on Monday night in a heated matchup filled with trash talking, physical play and technical fouls.
It was Golden State’s second visit to Oklahoma City since former Thunder star Kevin Durant signed a free agent contract with the rival Warriors last summer. Durant has been out since February with a left knee injury and sat on the bench with his team.
Even with Durant out, the negative energy from the first meeting was still there. Stephen Curry exchanged shoves with Oklahoma City’s Semaj Christon just before halftime, and both were issued technical fouls. Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook and Golden State’s Draymond Green also got technical for their roles in the skirmish.
The Warriors were overpowering in this one, leading by as many as 27 points while completing a sweep of the four-game season series.
Curry scored 23 points for the Warriors, who won their fourth straight and halted Oklahoma City’s win streak at five games.
Westbrook scored 47 points the last time the teams met in Oklahoma City. This time, he had 15 points on 4-of-16 shooting. ROCKETS 125, NUGGETS 124: In Houston, James Harden drove the length of the floor for a layup with 2.4 seconds left to lift Houston over Denver.
Harden had 39 points, 11 assists and was three rebounds shy of his 20th triple-double of the season. Houston outlasted Denver in a duel between the second- and third-highest scoring teams in the NBA.
Harden likely saved the game for Houston, too, when he batted
down an inbounds pass to Mason Plumlee near the basket following his layup.
CELTICS 110, WIZARDS 102: In Boston, Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points after missing the previous two games with a bruised right knee, leading Boston to a victory over Washington in another testy matchup between two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
Avery Bradley added 20 points and nine rebounds for Boston, which moved 2½ games ahead of the Wizards for second place in the East. The Celtics trail firstplace Cleveland by two games.
Jae Crowder and Al Horford each scored 16 with nine boards.
PACERS 107, JAZZ 100: In Indianapolis, Jeff Teague scored 21 points, Paul George added 19 and Indiana beat Utah.
Indiana continued its trend of following a loss with a win — failing to do either in consecutive games since Feb. 16. The win helped the Pacers maintain the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. HORNETS 105, HAWKS 90: In Charlotte, N.C., Nicolas Batum and Kemba Walker each had 16 points and Charlotte handed slumping Atlanta its fourth straight loss.
The Hornets scored 17 points off 18 turnovers and led by as many as 23 in the fourth quarter.
Frank Kaminsky provided more strong play off the bench for Charlotte with 14 points and five assists. MAGIC 112, 76ERS 109, OT: In Orlando, Fla., Nikola Vucevic had 26 points and 13 rebounds, Evan Fournier scored 19 points and Orlando beat Philadelphia in overtime.
Orlando overcame a 17-point second-half deficit. Fournier led the way in OT with eight points, and Terrence Ross had four points in the extra session and 15 overall.