Curry scores 38 as Warriors rally past Clippers, 115-105
SAN FRANCISCO » Stephen Curry scored 38 points and the Golden State Warriors erased a big secondhalf deficit Friday night to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 115-105.
The Warriors trailed by 21 late in the third quarter but Curry scored 19 in that period and pulled Golden State within six entering the fourth.
Golden State (5-4) then outscored Los Angeles 3418 over the final 12 minutes and snapped a four-game losing streak against the Clippers, who beat them at the Chase Center two nights earlier.
Paul George had 25 points for the Clippers (6-4) and Kawhi Leonard added 24, but Golden State turned up the defense after the Clippers scored 65 in the first half.
Curry got payback after being held to just 13 points in Wednesday’s loss. He got help from his teammates in the fourth as Eric Paschall, Brad Wanamaker and Kent Bazemore all hit big shots.
The Clippers shot 58.7% from the floor in the first half and led 65-51. George had 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including 4 for 4 from beyond the arc.
But Curry rallied the Warriors with his big third quarter and when Paschall hit a 3-pointer to put the Warriors up 92-89 with 10:01 left, it gave them their first lead since it was 3-2.
Los Angeles got to the basket easily in the first two quarters, outscoring Golden State 28-16 in the paint.
LAKERS 117, BULLS 115 » LeBron James had 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame the absence of two injured starters.
Zach LaVine scored 38 points, but the UCLA product missed a 17-foot jumper with 4.7 seconds left that would have put Chicago ahead.
Montrezl Harrell had 17 points and 14 rebounds for the defending NBA champions, who have won five of six. James and Harrell led the way as Los Angeles held off the Bulls down the stretch without injured starters Anthony Davis and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
LaVine scored 19 points in the first quarter for the Bulls, who have lost two straight in California following an impressive win at Portland.
PISTONS 110, SUNS 105 (OT) » Jerami Grant had 31 points, 10 rebounds and a crucial assist near the end of regulation, and Detroit beat Phoenix in overtime after rallying from a 23-point deficit.
CELTICS 116, WIZARDS 107 » Jayson Tatum had 32 points, Jaylen Brown had 27 points and 13 rebounds, and Boston held off Bradley Beal and Washington for a fourth straight win.
Beal had 41 points and eight rebounds a game after tying the franchise record with 60 points against the 76ers.
JAZZ 131, BUCKS 118 » Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points and Utah made a franchise-record 25 3-pointers to beat Milwaukee and hand the Bucks their first home loss.
Utah (5-4) shot 25 of 53 from 3-point range to snap a two-game skid after double-digit losses at Brooklyn and New York.
HORNETS 118, PELICANS 100 » Gordon Hayward scored 26 points and Charlotte methodically came back from an 18-point, second-quarter deficit to beat the New Orleans.
Zion Williamson scored 26 points and Josh Hart had 19 for the Pelicans, who’ve lost three straight, all at home.
GRIZZLIES 115, NETS 110 » Dillon Brooks scored 24 points and Memphis held on to beat the Brooklyn after Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas left midway through the game due to health and safety protocols.
There were key starters missing for both teams. The Nets were without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, while Memphis was continued missing reigning Rookie of the Year Ja Morant and forward Jaren Jackson Jr.
ROCKETS 132, MAGIC 90 » Christian Wood scored 22 points and tied a career high with 15 rebounds to lead Houston over shorthanded Orlando.
Houston was up by 29 at halftime and had extended the lead to 81-43 after consecutive 3-pointers by John Wall and P.J. Tucker with about five minutes left in the third.
THUNDER 101, KNICKS 89 » Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, Hamidou Diallo scored a season-high 23 points, and the Oklahoma City overcame an ugly start.
RJ Barrett scored 19 points for the Knicks, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.