Durant powers Warriors

los angeles — Kevin Durant finished with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his ninth career triple double on Wednesday as the undermanned Golden State Warriors defeated the Charlotte Hornets 101-87.

The Warriors won their fifth straight and the seventh in their last eight games despite playing without superstar Stephen Curry and forward Draymond Green.

Durant had 16 points in the first quarter, quickly setting the tone for the game at the Spectrum Center arena. He finished 13 of 28 from the field and hit three three-pointers.

The Warriors cruised to a 4822 lead in the second quarter and never trailed, improving to 20-6 on the season.

Elsewhere, LeBron James nailed a clutch three-pointer with 16 seconds left as Cleveland won a record-tieing 13th straight game with a 101-95 win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

James finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists as the win equaled a Cleveland franchise record.

In New Orleans, DeMarcus Cousins had 40 points and 22 rebounds and Jrue Holiday tallied 27 points and seven assists to lift the New Orleans Pelicans to a 123-114 win over the Denver Nuggets.

The Pelicans, who were playing without forward Anthony Davis, erased an early 10-point deficit by getting the ball inside to Cousins.

Davis missed his third straight game with a strained adductor.

Cousins finished just short of his season high with 41 points and 23 rebounds he recorded in a 114-106 road victory over Sacramento on October 26.

The Nuggets were led by Gary Harris with 24 points, but they dropped to 3-9 on the road.

The Pelicans put the game out of reach with a 13-0 run in a three-minute span in the fourth quarter to take a 114-96 lead with 6:38 left. — AFP