Golden moment for Warriors to grab record
THE Golden State Warriors moved within one win of equalling the best ever start to an NBA season after two late Harrison Barnes three-pointers secured a 106-94 triumph over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.
Golden State’s 14th straight victory meant they equalled the 1957-58 Boston Celtics record mark to open a season for a reigning champion. A win tonight in Denver would match the 15-0 starts by the 1948-49 Washington Capitols and 199394 Houston Rockets.
“At this point, you do think about the record,” Warriors power forward Draymond Green admitted. “All you’re doing now is thinking about winning one game. That’s what we’d be doing anyway.”
Golden State’s 18th consecutive regular-season win dating back to last year came at the expense of the Bulls, who were the last team to beat the Warriors at home in the regular season, a 113-111 overtime triumph on January 27.
The Warriors’ win resulted from a 17-5 finish after point guard Stephen Curry’s third three-pointer broke the game’s 17th tie and put Golden State up for good at 92-89 with 5:26 to go. The difference was 96-92 before Barnes buried the first of his threes with 1:15 to go, making it a seven-point game.
After Bulls power forward Nikola Mirotic lost the ball trying to draw a foul on a shot at the other end, Barnes bombed in another three, this one pushing the advantage to 102-92 with just 41.2 seconds left.
Curry, despite missing eight of his 11 three-point attempts, had 27 points to lead the Warriors, who improved to 8-0 at home this season and 26-0 in regular-season games since the Bulls’ last visit. Barnes hit three of his six three-point attempts on a 20-point night.
He also tied Green for the team lead with nine rebounds.
The Charlotte Hornets rolled to an easy 113-88 win over the winless Philadelphia 76ers; the Boston Celtics recorded a 120-95 rout of the Brooklyn Nets and the New Orleans Pelicans upset the San Antonio Spurs 104-90.
The Detroit Pistons erased a second-half deficit in a 96-86 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Houston Rockets 96-84. The New York Knicks edged Oklahoma City 93-90, while the Dallas Mavericks won their sixth straight game, beating Utah Jazz 102-93.
The Phoenix Suns rallied from 17 down in the second half to beat the Denver Nuggets 114107, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 102-91, while the Toronto Raptors cruised 102-91 over the Los Angeles Lakers.