Pelicans fall to Warriors; Cavaliers maul Grizzlies
los angeles — Stephen Curry scored 30 points to win his duel with Anthony Davis as the Golden State Warriors dug deep to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans while the Cleveland Cavaliers demolished the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
Reigning NBA MVP Curry’s haul in a 113-109 victory included five three-pointers as well as four rebounds and seven assists to boost the Warriors to 22-4 for the season.
Davis, second only to Russell Westbrook in the points scoring charts this season, averaging just over 30 per game, scored 28 points in the Pelicans’ losing effort.
Davis also pulled down eight rebounds and produced three assists but ultimately the Warriors had too much firepower for the home team.
Kevin Durant added 27 points for the Dubs while Klay Thompson
draymond loves being in that situation. he relishes it. he really does.
Steve Kerr, Warriors coach
finished with 17 and Draymond Green made his first triple double of the season — 12 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists.
Green also single-handedly stifled Davis in the final 4:48, preventing the Pelicans from making a single field goal. “Draymond loves being in that situation,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He relishes it. He really does, even against a guy like Anthony Davis, who’s so good. He’s a nasty defender.”
In Cleveland, Kevin Love scored 29 points as the Cavaliers shrugged off the absence of Kyrie Irving to down the Grizzlies 103-86.
Irving was given the night off after complaining of tiredness in his legs after last weekend’s victory over the Charlotte Hornets. But the 24-yearold point guard’s absence was barely felt as Cleveland romped home thanks to Love and LeBron James, who chipped in with 23 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Love also contributed 13 rebounds, while JR Smith filled the void left by Irving to weigh in with a 23-point haul which included six three-pointers. The victory saw the NBA champion Cavaliers improve to 18-5, tightening their grip at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Zach Randolph led the scoring for the Grizzlies with 18 points and five rebounds as the visitors rested AllStar center Marc Gasol.
Andrew Harrison and Troy Williams Portland 114 O.City Phoenix 113 NY Knicks Minnesota 99 Chicago G. State 113 N.Orleans Orlando 131 Atlanta Cleveland 103 Memphis 95 111 94 109 120 86 scored 13 points for Memphis who fell to 17-9.
Tuesday’s game at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena was the first of back-to-back games between the two sides. The Cavaliers face the Grizzlies again on Wednesday at Memphis’s FedEx Forum.
Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said afterwards he had purposely chosen James and Love on Tuesday, rather than split the duo up over the two games.
“We’re home to play in front of our fans... So, with two of the Big Three, I know we can win that game,” Lue said. —