Warriors too much for Cavs
Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors certainly looked ready to trade some more blows with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers come June.
The two-time reigning MVP hit five 3-pointers and had 20 points while matching his season best with 11 assists in Golden State’s 126-91 rout of the defending champs last night in Oakland, Calif.
Klay Thompson scored 26 points with five 3-pointers, and Draymond Green produced his third triple-double of the season with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. He also equaled his career best with five blocks — and had another dustup with King James in the process.
James had 20 points on 6-of-18 shooting and eight rebounds, and he and Green became the talk once more as their relationship turned even more testy.
Kevin Durant added 21 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks for the Warriors in a much-hyped matchup merely weeks after Golden State lost 109-108 in Cleveland on Christmas.
Hawks 108, Knicks 107 — Dennis Schroder scored 28 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 22 seconds left, and Atlanta beat host New York.
Tim Hardaway Jr. added 20 points and Paul Millsap had 17 for the Hawks, who won for the ninth time in 10 games.
As usual with the Knicks, the game was only a minor part of the chaos. Before and after the game, Anthony spent much of his time responding to questions about a Fanragsports.com piece written by Charley Rosen, a Phil Jackson confidante, that said he had “outlived his usefulness in New York” by saying that maybe he needed to have a conversation with Jackson if he felt that way. It’s unclear if Jackson does, because he has barely spoken publicly this season.
Wizards 120, Trail Blazers 101 — Bradley Beal scored 25 points and John Wall had 24 as host Washington took a page from Portland’s playbook by hitting 13 3-pointers in an easy win.
The Wizards, who rely less on the 3-pointer than almost any NBA team, were 13-of-23 from beyond the arc in their 12th consecutive home victory.
76ers 113, Bucks 104 — Joel Embiid scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and visiting Philadelphia won for the fourth time in five games, beating Milwaukee. Embiid also had 12 rebounds. Pacers 98, Pelicans 95 — Jeff Teague fell just short of the first triple-double of his career, and Paul George had 19 points as Indiana held off New Orleans in Indianapolis.
All-Star center Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 16 points despite missing the final 19 minutes after hurting his right hip and left thumb. However, X-rays were negative.
Nuggets 125, Magic 112 — Nikola Jokic scored a careerhigh 30 points, Emmanuel Mudiay dished out a career-best 13 assists and host Denver followed up its “home” win in London with another at the Pepsi Center, beating Orlando.
Jazz 106, Suns 101 — Joe Johnson scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 49.8 seconds to play, and visiting Utah made it seven in a row over Phoenix.
Clippers 120, Thunder 98 — J.J. Redick scored 20 points, DeAndre Jordan had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and streaking Los Angeles overcame Chris Paul’s sprained left thumb to defeat visiting Oklahoma City.