Curry scores 49 as Warriors hold off pesky Boston Celtics
Anthony cracks 25,000 points as Thunder beat Pistons
SAN FRANCISCO: Stephen Curry poured in 31 of his season-high 49 points in the second half Saturday night, including consecutive hoops to break a late tie, rallying the Golden State Warriors to a 109-105 victory over the Boston Celtics in a nationally televised showdown of conference leaders in Oakland, Calif. Curry’s 49 points came on 16-of-24 shooting and 8-of-13 accuracy from 3-point range. Kevin Durant finished with 20 points and Draymond Green recorded a 15-point, 11rebound double-double for the Warriors, who completed a three-game home sweep of the New York Knicks, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Celtics. Boston’s Kyrie Irving had 37 points on 5-for-6 shooting from 3-point range and 13-for-18 accuracy overall. Jaylen Brown totaled 20 points and Al Horford, returning from a concussion, notched a 15-point, 13rebound double-double for the Celtics.
THUNDER 121, PISTONS 108
Carmelo Anthony scored his 25,000th career point, Russell Westbrook notched a tripledouble, and Oklahoma City posted its seventh straight victory by topping host Detroit. Anthony finished with 21 points and became the 21st player in NBA history to hit that mark, as well as the 25th in NBA and ABA combined history. Westbrook racked up 31 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. Paul George supplied 26 points and Steven Adams added 13 points and seven rebounds. Thunder guard Andre Roberson was wheeled off in a stretcher with 4:33 left in the third quarter after he slipped running toward the basket. Roberson reportedly sustained a ruptured patellar tendon on the play. Tobias Harris led six Pistons in double figures with 21 points, but Detroit dropped its seventh straight.
NUGGETS 91, MAVERICKS 89
Nikola Jokic recorded his eighth career triple-double and hit the tiebreaking jumper with 1:12 remaining as host Denver held on for a victory over Dallas. Jokic finished with 11 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. He sealed his second triple-double of the season when he hit a 19-foot jumper above the right elbow after getting a pass from Jamal Murray to give Denver the final margin. Dallas’ Wesley Matthews’ 3-point attempt off an inbounds pass was short just before time expired. Denver’s Gary Harris led all scorers with 24 points, including seven straight for the Nuggets before Jokic’s tiebreaking shot. Harrison Barnes led the Mavericks with 22 points.
Jokic record his eighth career triple-double
TIMBERWOLVES 111, NETS 97
Jumping out to a 30-11 lead after one quarter, Minnesota led by double figures for most of the last three quarters in a decision over Brooklyn in Minneapolis. Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler led the Timberwolves with 21 points each, while Karl-Anthony Towns and reserve Jamal Crawford scored 16 apiece. Towns also hauled in 19 rebounds. Jahlil Okafor paced Brooklyn with 21 points in a reserve role, while another substitute, Nik Stauskas, hit for 15. Nets starters combined to score just 34 points.
HEAT 95, HORNETS 91
Wayne Ellington made a 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds left as host Miami rallied from a 15point, third-quarter deficit to defeat Charlotte.
Josh Richardson scored a team-high 19 points and Ellington had 17 as Miami swept the four-game season series against Charlotte this season. The Heat also improved to 5-16 when trailing entering the fourth quarter.
Kemba Walker scored 30 points, and Dwight Howard added 20 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks for the Hornets. Walker scored more than 20 points for his fifth straight game, but he missed a free throw that would have tied the score with 30 seconds left.
WIZARDS 129, HAWKS 104
Markieff Morris scored a game-high 23 points while Mike Scott came off the bench and added 19 as Washington took a big firsthalf lead en route to a win at Atlanta. The Wizards won despite playing without All-Star guard John Wall (knee soreness/pain). Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. both scored 18. Dewayne Dedmon, Taurean Prince and Tyler Dorsey all scored 14 points for the Hawks.
PACERS 114, MAGIC 112
Victor Oladipo scored 24 points and Lance Stephenson added a season-high 21 as Indiana rallied for a victory over Orlando in Indianapolis. Thaddeus Young added 20 points for the Pacers, who trailed by 21 in the first half. Stephenson had nine points in the fourth quarter. Domantas Sabonis chipped in with 17 points and team-high nine rebounds. Aaron Gordon recorded highs for the Magic with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Evan Fournier added 21 points. — Reuters