Stephen Curry scored 24 points as the Golden State Warriors set a new record for the longest unbeaten start to an NBA season with a 111-77 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Reigning MVP Curry turned on the style as the Warriors extended their perfect start to 16 games, surpassing the previous best of 15-0 they had shared with the 1993-1994 Houston Rockets and 1948-1949 Washington Capitols.
A sell-out crowd at the Oracle Arena had come to see the NBA champions make history and the outcome never looked in doubt from the outset against a Lakers side who slumped to 2-12 with the loss.
Photo: AFP
“To start the season 16-0 and do something that’s never been done before in NBA history, it’s pretty cool,” Curry said. “We want to keep it going.”
“There’s a lot of season left, but we’re on the right track. It’s special,” he said. “There’s a lot of great players in this league and a lot of great teams — nobody’s accomplished what this team has tonight.”
“We’re proud of this moment. We’ll celebrate a little bit and then look ahead to Friday night,” he said.
At times the game resembled a training exercise for the Warriors as they sprinted into a 30-11 first quarter lead against their outclassed opponents, effectively scoring at will.
Draymond Green scored 12 points in the opening quarter, with Curry and Harrison Barnes chipping in with eight points each. Green eventually finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots.
The healthy cushion built over the first period never looked like being overhauled by the Lakers, who trailed by 16 points at the half, 54-38.
It got worse for the Lakers after the interval as the Warriors cut loose, outscoring their opponents by 35-17 to extend their lead to 89-55 heading into the final quarter.
By midway through the final quarter the Warriors led by more than 40 points with the Lakers barely managing token resistance.
It was a miserable night for veteran Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who was restricted to four points with one-for-14 shooting. It was the Lakers icon’s lowest score of the season, having reached double digits in each of his previous 10 appearances.
The Warriors blistering start to the season remains well short of the longest winning streak in history, which is the 33-game run set by the Lakers in the 1971-1972 season.
Golden State could threaten the Chicago Bulls’ all-time season record, when a side led by Michael Jordan finished the 1995-1996 campaign with a 72-10 record.
GRIZZLIES 110, MAVERICKS 96
Guard Mike Conley scored 21 points, while forward Jeff Green added 19 to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Green scored eight of his points in the third quarter as the Grizzlies turned a 10-point halftime lead into a 22-point advantage.
J.J. Barea and Raymond Felton each scored 16 off the bench for the Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Zaza Pachulia also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
HAWKS 121, CELTICS 97
Paul Millsap led seven Hawks in double figures with 25 points, while Jeff Teague added 16 points and nine assists as Atlanta celebrated the retirement of Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo’s No. 55 jersey with victory over the Boston Celtics.
Boston guard Avery Bradley scored 25 points to lead the Celtics.
CLIPPERS 111, NUGGETS 94
Center DeAndre Jordan had 18 points and 11 rebounds, while forward Blake Griffin also had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Denver Nuggets.
BULLS 93, TRAIL BLAZERS 88
The Chicago Bulls sank six consecutive free throws over the final 15.9 seconds to close out the win over Portland on the road.
PACERS 123, WIZARDS 106
Paul George scored a season-high 40 points as the Indiana Pacers sank a franchise-record 19 three-pointers in their win over the Washington Wizards.
Indiana shot 73.1 percent (19 of 26) from beyond the arc, with their starting forwards George and C.J. Miles, with a career-high 32 points, doing the damage.
Miles made eight of nine three-pointers, while George sank seven of eight. The duo combined to make their first 11 three-point attempts.
For the Wizards, Gary Neal scored 23 and Bradley Beal 20.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely