Warriors’ Curry outshines Clippers’ Paul Nets boost playoff bid
NEW YORK (AP) — Lionel Hollins was surprised how quickly his team built a big lead. His players were proud of how they regrouped after blowing it.
Big games in Brooklyn were big disappointments for the home team earlier this season, but the Nets believe they are a different team now – potentially a playoff one.
Brook Lopez had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and the Nets reclaimed sole possession of eighth place in the Eastern Conference by beating the Indiana Pacers 111-106 on Tuesday night for their season-high fourth straight victory.
“It’s just a mentality, I guess, sense of urgency. Realizing we have a chance to make these playoffs and we’re just try- ing to make a push,” point guard Deron Williams said.
The Nets moved back ahead of Boston and dealt a blow to the Pacers, who fell 1 1/2 games behind Brooklyn. They visit the Celtics on Wednesday, so coach Frank Vogel told them to quickly move on.
“We’ve got a game tomorrow night. There’s plenty of basketball still to be played,” he said.
Joe Johnson added 21 points, including five straight after the Pacers got within three with about 2 minutes left. Alan Anderson scored 20, with the Nets improving to 17-5 when he gets into double figures.
Brooklyn, which flopped in important home contests against Charlotte and Boston earlier this season, won for the sixth time in seven games and claimed the tiebreaker with Indiana by winning the season series.
George Hill scored 28 points for the Pacers, who lost for the eighth time in 10 games.
“We’ve just got to bring it more and take away the loss and how bad it feels,” Hill said. “It feels like we’re kind of giving the season away one game at a time so we’ve got to forget about it now and focus on tomorrow, bring it tomorrow and try to get a win tomorrow.”
It was a disappointing start to a crucial week for the Pacers, who also are home for games against Charlotte and Miami on Friday and Sunday. Vogel compared it to the NCAA Tournament, saying that “if you win, you knock off a team, and if you lose, you go home.”
The Pacers aren’t going home yet, but the Nets made it tougher for them to go to the playoffs. WARRIORS 110, CLIPPERS 106 In Los Angeles, Stephen Curry scored 27 points, Klay Thompson added 25 and Golden State held off Los Angeles for its 10th consecutive victory.
The Clippers blew a 17-point lead and had their seven-game winning streak snapped. Blake Griffin scored 40 points, Chris Paul added 27 and J.J. Redick 14.
Paul’s layup drew the Clippers to 106-104 with 12 seconds left, but he was called for a backcourt violation when taking an inbounds pass from DeAndre Jordan with 9 seconds left.