Curry’s 32 points lead Warriors over Rockets
HOUSTON >> Stephen Curry scored 32 points, Klay Thompson had 25 and the Golden State Warriors built a big lead early and held on for a 113-106 win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.
The Warriors scored 37 points in the first quarter and never trailed on the way to their eighth straight victory and 60th this season.
Golden State led by eight after a pair of free throws by Curry with just over three minutes left. Patrick Beverley countered with a tip-in layup for Houston, then was fouled when he was knocked to the ground on a screen by Draymond Green seconds later.
James Harden missed a layup on the next possession before Green added a shot on the other end to put the Warriors up 107-99.
Another layup miss by Harden followed, and Curry made a 3-pointer with 1:46 left to send fans streaming to the exits. HEAT 97, PISTONS 96 >> Hassan Whiteside tipped in a shot at the buzzer to lift Miami over Detroit.
Miami is a game up on Chicago for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and 2½ games ahead of Detroit.
Whiteside jumped over Andre Drummond to tip in Goran Dragic’s missed jumper. The final play was reviewed and confirmed. HAWKS 95, SUNS 91>> Dennis Schroder hit consecutive 3-pointers to spark a 17-1 run that carried Atlantato a victory over Phoenix, snapping a seven-game losing streak and boosting Atlanta’s playoff hopes.
The Suns lost their ninth in a row in a matchup of teams with the two longest active losing streaks in the NBA.
Playing again without AllStar forward Paul Millsap and two other key players, the Hawks raced to an 18-point lead in the first quarter. But Atlanta sleepwalked through the next two periods and went nearly 4 ½ minutes in the fourth without scoring.
The Suns, without Devin Booker, took advantage of the Hawks’ shooting woes, finally taking their first lead on Alan Williams’ lay-in with 10:37 remaining and stretching the margin to 78-71. BUCKS 118, HOLRNETS 108 >> Tony Snell scored a season-high 26 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 20 points and eight rebounds and Milwaukee handed Charlotte’s playoff hopes a potentially devastating blow.
Malcolm Brogdon had 14 points and 10 assists for his second double-double of the season, and the Bucks won for the 12th time in 15 games.
Snell finished 10 of 14 from the field and had four 3-pointers.
Charlotte (33-41) entered in 11th place in the Eastern Conference but only two games behind the Miami Heat and in dire need of a win with only nine games remaining. TIMBERWOLVES 115, PACRES 114>> Ricky Rubio made three free throws with 3.4 seconds left to give Minnesota a victory over Indiana.
Minnesota snapped a seasonhigh six-game losing streak by taking its only lead of the quarter. Rubio had 21 points and 10 assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 37 points and 12 rebounds.
Rubio was fouled by Jeff Teague, though it appeared Rubio ran into his own teammate on the play. Indiana fans booed the officials as they left the court.
Noah: Using supplement to aid injuries ‘backfired’
GREENBURGH, N.Y. >> Joakim Noah was seeking help to overcome injuries that wrecked his first season in New York and turned to an over-the-counter supplement.
That decision “backfired,” Noah said Tuesday.
It led to a 20-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy, preventing Noah from ending a disappointing year on a positive note.
“This was a tough moment, but I’m going to learn from it,” Noah said.