The Golden State Warriors won their franchise-record 15th straight game, with Stephen Curry scoring 29 points and Klay Thompson adding 25 on Saturday in a 105-98 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
The Warriors became the 12th NBA team to open a season 20-2. Steve Kerr, in his first season, is the first coach to start that fast.
Curry and Thompson each scored 17 in the first half as Golden State ran out to a 28-point lead.
The Mavericks got as close as seven in the final minute of the game.
Monta Ellis scored 24 points to lead the Mavericks, who played without Chandler Parsons because of a sore back. Dallas dropped to 0-5 against the top seven teams in the Western Conference.
ROCKETS 108, NUGGETS 96
In Houston, Dwight Howard had 26 points and 13 rebounds in his return from injury, James Harden had a triple-double, and Houston overcame an early deficit to beat Denver.
Howard, who missed the previous 11 games with a strained right knee, also reached a milestone, eclipsing 10,000 rebounds in his career.
Harden had 24 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his third career triple-double. He almost did not get it, grabbing his 10th rebound with less than a second left in the game.
Ty Lawson had 19 points and 12 assists, and Darrell Arthur had a season-high 20 points for the Nuggets.
MAGIC 100, HAWKS 99
In Orlando, Florida, Tobias Harris got a leaning, 13-foot jumper to rattle in at the buzzer as Orlando snapped Atlanta’s nine-game winning streak.
Harris finished with 20 points, Evan Fournier added 19 and Nik Vucevic 18. Orlando took the second game of the back-to-back after Atlanta’s victory at home on Friday.
The game was tight throughout, featuring 10 ties and 15 lead changes. The Magic had 10 first-quarter turnovers, but just five the rest of the game.
Jeff Teague had 24 points, leading six Hawks players in double figures. Al Horford added 18 and Kyle Korver 11.
GRIZZLIES 120, 76ERS 115, OT
In Philadelphia, Mike Conley hit the tying three-pointer to send the game into overtime and scored a career-high 36 points, leading Memphis past Philadelphia.
The Grizzlies rallied from 18 points down over the final 7 minutes of regulation to keep the Sixers winless at home. Conley scored 16 points in the fourth and kept Memphis in the hunt for best record in the Western Conference.
Zach Randolph had 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Conley was 13 of 22 from the floor, hit five three-pointers and had nine assists.
Michael Carter-Williams had an empty triple-double for the Sixers with 16 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, but a handful of turnovers and poor shot selection helped doom the Sixers in the fourth and OT.
BUCKS 111, CLIPPERS 106
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Brandon Knight scored 22 points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo added 20 as Milwaukee beat the Clippers.
Jamal Crawford hit a three-pointer with 3.1 seconds left to pull the Clippers to 109-106. Knight’s inbounds pass was tipped out of bounds by Matt Barnes, who was tied up with Khris Middleton on a close play.
The referees reviewed the replay and confirmed that the Bucks had the ball. Milwaukee inbounded again, and Knight hit a pair of free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining to close the scoring.
Barnes scored a season-high 26 points and J.J. Redick added 25.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Trail Blazers 95, Pacers 85
‧ Nets 114, Hornets 87
‧ Pistons 95, Kings 90
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