CURRY’S 32 POINTS LEAD WARRIORS PAST ROCKETS

houston» Stephen Curry scored 32 points, Klay Thompson had 25 and the Warriors built a big lead early and held on for a 113-106 win over the Rockets on Tuesday night.

The Warriors scored 37 points in the first quarter and never trailed on the way to their eighth straight victory and 60th this season.

Golden State led by eight after a pair of free throws by Curry with just over three minutes left. Patrick Beverley countered with a tip-in layup for Houston, then was fouled when he was knocked to the ground on a screen by Draymond Green seconds later.

James Harden missed a layup on the next possession before Green added a shot on the other end to put the Warriors up 10799.

Another layup miss by Harden followed, and Curry made a 3pointer with 1:46 left to send fans streaming to the exits.

TUESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

Hassan Whiteside tipped in a shot at the buzzer to lift the Heat over the Pistons 97-96. Miami is a game up on Chicago for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and 2½ games ahead of Detroit. Whiteside jumped over Andre Drummond to tip in Goran Dragic’s missed jumper. The final play was reviewed and confirmed. … Tony Snell scored a season-high 26 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 20 points and eight rebounds and the Bucks handed the Hornets’ playoff hopes a potentially devastating blow with a 118-108 victory. Charlotte entered in 11th place in the Eastern Conference but only two games behind the Heat and in dire need of a win with only nine games remaining. Malcolm Brogdon had 14 points and 10 assists for his second doubledouble of the season for the Bucks. … Dennis Schroder hit consecutive 3-pointers to spark a 17-1 run that carried the Hawks to a 95-91 victory over the Suns. … Ricky Rubio made three free throws with 3.4 seconds left to give the Timberwolves a 115-114 victory over the Pacers. … Dario Saric scored 23 points, Robert Covington had 21 points and 13 rebounds and the 76ers beat the Nets 106-101.