San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Curry returns home, scores 26 as Dallas romps
Seth Curry has watched his older brother Stephen have some memorable homecoming games at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte N.C.
He figured he needed one of his own. A motivated Curry was impressive Saturday night in his hometown, making his first 10 shots from the field — six of them 3pointers — and finishing with 26 points off the bench to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 116100 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
“It felt really good,” Curry said. “I have watched Steph come in a couple of times and get hot and put on some great shows. I’m sure he’s going to send me a text or say something funny.”
Curry’s big game came with his mother Sonya in the stands and his father Dell broadcasting the game for the Hornets.
Dell Curry said he had a smile on his face much of the game.
“I am super excited for him,” Dell Curry said after the game. “… It makes it easier when your son plays well. So that was a lot of fun.”
Because of injuries, this is only the second time the younger Curry has played in Charlotte during his NBA career. He participated there last year in the NBA AllStar 3point contest against Steph and others, but didn’t make it past the first round.
“I wanted to come here and play in front of family and friends,” Curry said. “Playing in your home city, it’s different. You want to come in and put on a good show and have fun and that’s what happened.”
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle called Curry’s effort amazing.
“I mean, at halftime he was 7for7 with 18 points,” Carlisle said. “Some guys, when they come home special things happen. He was cooking. It was something to see.”
Willie CauleyStein added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who played without Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Doncic missed his sixth straight game with a right ankle sprain, while Porzingis rested a sore left knee and is expected back on Monday night. Devonte Graham had 16 points and 10 assists for the Hornets, who have lost 13 of their past 14 games.
Raptors 119, Nets 118: Fred VanVleet scored 10 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, Pascal Siakam scored 20 points — one on the tiebreaking free throw with 22 seconds remaining — and Toronto extended its franchise-record winning streak to 14 by beating visiting Brooklyn. Terence Davis scored 20 points as the Raptors overcame the absence of All-Star guard Kyle Lowry for their 10th consecutive home victory over the Nets. Toronto has won 18 of 19 in the series, including six straight. Davis shot 5-for-8 from 3-point range and VanVleet went 4-for-9 as the defending NBA champions remained unbeaten since a 105-104 home loss to San Antonio on Jan. 12. Caris LeVert scored 37 points, going 6-for-7 from long range, but missed a 3-pointer that would have given Brooklyn the win.
Bucks 112, Magic 95: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 19 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, helping Milwaukee prevail on the road. The Bucks won for the 13th time in 14 games, improving the league’s best record to 45-7 and remaining on course to become the third team to top 70 wins in a regular season. Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, fell short in a personal bid to become the first player with at least 30 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in six consecutive games. Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Terrence Ross had 20 points.
Pelicans 124, Pacers 117: Jrue Holiday scored 14 of his 31 points in the final 2:26, including a go-ahead 3-pointer, and short-handed New Orleans beat host Indiana. The Pelicans played without Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson due to injuries. Ingram has a right ankle sprain, and Williamson is dealing with a left ankle sprain. JJ Redick added 23 points for the Pelicans. Indiana dropped its fifth straight. Jeremy Lamb led the Pacers with 26 points. T.J. Warren scored 22.
Knicks 95, Pistons 92: Julius Randle scored 17 points, two on a bank shot with 13.5 seconds left that helped New York secure its fourth straight victory, this one in Detroit. The Knicks led 91-89 when Randle scored inside to push the lead to four. Replays showed Detroit’s Thon Maker appeared to take an arm to the face on the play, but it was not considered reviewable. Christian Wood made a 3-pointer for Detroit to cut the lead to one, but Reggie Bullock of the Knicks made two free throws with 7.3 seconds left for the final margin. Reggie Jackson led the Pistons with 20 points and nine assists.
Timberwolves 142, Clippers 115: Jordan McLaughlin scored 24 points and Malik Beasley added 23 in his Minnesota debut as the new-look Timberwolves won at home and snapped a 13-game losing streak. Karl-Anthony Towns just missed a triple-double with 22 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for the Timberwolves, who won for the first time since Jan. 9. McLaughlin added 11 assists as Minnesota scored its highest point total of the season thanks to a franchise-record 26 3-pointers. Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points and Paul George had 21 for the Clippers, whose threegame winning streak was snapped. The Timberwolves shot 15-for-25 from 3-point range in the first half and took an 81-59 lead into halftime. The 81 points were a franchise record for points in a half.
Nuggets 117, Suns 108: Jamal Murray scored 36 points to lead visiting Denver. Deandre Ayton had 28 points and 19 rebounds for Phoenix. Nikola Jokic added 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Denver, which got 12 points and 11 rebounds from Paul Millsap off the bench.
Kings 122, Spurs 102: Buddy Hield hit nine 3-pointers and scored 31 points off the bench to lead host Sacramento, which pulled away in the fourth period. Harrison Barnes had 25 points for the Kings, who got 15 each from Nemanja Bjelica and Kent Bazemore.
Thomas released: The Clippers waived Isaiah Thomas two days after acquiring him in a three-team trade with the Knicks and Wizards. The 31year-old guard has averaged 18.1 points and five assists in his career with seven teams.