Curry scores 42 points, leads Warriors to rout of Cavaliers
CLEVELAND >> Stephen Curry made nine 3-pointers and scored
42 points, Kevin Durant added
25 and the Golden State Warriors came back to face a very different looking Cleveland team for the first time since winning another NBA title, and beat the Cavaliers 129-105 Wednesday night.
Curry scored nine points in less than a minute midway through the fourth quarter to help the Warriors pull away for their eighth straight over their former Finals rivals.
Curry added nine rebounds, seven assists and appears completely healed after missing 11 games with a strained groin. Durant had 10 rebounds and nine assists.
It was Golden State’s first visit to Cleveland since June, when the Warriors completed a sweep to win their third championship in four years.
Nothing looked the same. The Cavaliers lost LeBron James over the summer as a free agent and are starting from scratch after a four-year run as Eastern Conference champions. Cleveland also is playing without injured All-Star Kevin Love, forward J.R. Smith is on a forced hiatus and the team recently traded Kyle Korver.
Tristan Thompson, one of the only holdovers from those powerful Cleveland teams, had 19 rebounds and 14 points. Rookie Collin Sexton scored 20 points for Cleveland. THUNDER 114, NETS 112 >> Paul George scored 25 of his 47 points in a sensational fourth quarter, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds left that lifted Oklahoma City past Brooklyn.
George rallied the Thunder from a 23-point deficit and finished a point shy of his career high, leading them to a fourth straight victory in a game they trailed big for much of the way.
Russell Westbrook had his 108th career triple-double to snap a tie with former Nets star and coach Jason Kidd for third in NBA history, finishing with 21 points, 17 assists and 15 rebounds.
NUGGETS 124, MAGIC 118 >> Jamal Murray scored 31 points and Denver shut down Orlando in overtime for its seventh straight victory.
After Terence Ross tied it for Orlando with a 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets outscored the Magic 9-2 until Nikola Vucevic dunked for the Magic’s first field goal of the overtime session with just 1:04 left. TIMBERWOLVES 121, HORNETS 104 >> Karl-Anthony Towns scored 35 points, Andrew Wiggins added a season-high 26 points and Minnesota beat Charlotte for its sixth victory in seven games.
Towns tied a career high with six blocks and had 12 rebounds. Wiggins tied season highs with six rebounds and five assists. PELICANS 132, MAVERICKS 106 >> Julius Randle had 27 points and 18 rebounds to help New Orleans win.
Anthony Davis had 27 points, a career-high nine assists and five blocks despite twisting his ankle and briefly leaving the court for treatment after stepping on Dorian Finney-Smith’s foot. WIZARDS 131, HAWKS 117 >> Bradley Beal scored a season-high 36 points, Otto Porter Jr. had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Washington beat Atlanta for its third straight victory. BUCKS 115, PISTONS 92 >> Eric Bledsoe matched his season high with 27 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 15 in Milwaukee’s victory over Detroit.
GRIZZLIES 96, CLIPPERS 86 >> Mike Conley scored 22 points, JaMychal Green had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Memphis held Los Angeles to a season scoring low.