Curry leads Warriors to record 22 wins
Curry leads Golden State to 22nd win
NEW YORK (AP) — Golden State’s first game against the Nets went down to the wire, and the rematch seemed headed the same way.
With one of his electrifying flurries, Stephen Curry changed things in a hurry.
Curry scored 16 of his 28 points in the third quarter and the Warriors ran their NBA-record start to 22-0 by beating Brooklyn 114-98 on Sunday night.
Coming off consecutive 40-point games, Curry was having a relatively quiet and even puzzling night – he missed his first three free throws – before helping the Warriors regain control against a team that nearly beat them this season and looked capable of finishing the job this time.
“Just trying to see if I could get some room and figure out a way to impact the game,” Curry said, “and things started to click.”
They sure did, as Curry scored 11 points and threw a lob for Festus Ezeli’s slam during a 15-4 run to close the third.
“That’s what great players can do. Plus, he has a great team,” Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. “He doesn’t have to go out there and do it all the time. Last night he had 44. Two nights ago when they were in Charlotte he had 43. When he needs to he can and when he doesn’t need to he takes a backseat to those guys.”
Draymond Green added 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Klay Thompson scored 21 for the Warriors, who won their 26th in a row overall in the regular season, one behind the 2012-13 Miami Heat for the secondlongest streak in NBA history.
Down 75-70 with 3:10 left in the third, the Warriors were soon ahead 96-85 early in the fourth.
THUNDER 98, KINGS 95 In Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook had his third triple-double of the season with 19 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds and Oklahoma City rallied late to beat Sacramento.
Kevin Durant committed 10 turnovers but hit the go-ahead jumper with 23 seconds left and two free throws with 4.4 seconds left to cap a 20-point, ninerebound outing for Oklahoma City.
The Thunder won their fourth straight home game. Since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City, it is 14-0 against Sacramento in Chesapeake Energy Arena and 23-4 overall.
NBA assists leader Rajon Rondo had 10 to go with seven points for the Kings.
GRIZZLIES 95, SUNS 93
In Memphis, Jeff Green’s dunk on an alley-oop inbound pass from Courtney Lee with 0.5 seconds left gave Memphis a victory over Phoenix.
The Suns’ last chance to tie the game came on Eric Bledsoe's shot from the right corner. The two-point attempt was long, sending Phoenix to its fourth straight loss despite a late rally that pulled the Suns even.