Klay Thompson scored 32 points and fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry added 23 as the Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers 115-112 on Saturday to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.
The Warriors were coming off a 32-point drubbing at Portland a night earlier that snapped their 11-game winning streak. They appeared highly motivated to erase that memory from the opening tip, shooting 56 percent in the first half and twice leading by 15 points in the second quarter.
Draymond Green had his NBA-leading 11th triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to help the defending champions improve to 49-5.
Photo: AP
Jamal Crawford scored 25 points off the bench, Chris Paul added 24 and DeAndre Jordan had 16 points and 21 rebounds for the Clippers. They fell to 19-6 without injured Blake Griffin. Their two earlier losses to the Warriors were by a combined 11 points with Griffin in the lineup.
HEAT 114, WIZARDS 94
In Miama, Florida, Hassan Whiteside had 25 points and 23 rebounds in his return from a one-game suspension to help the Heat beat Washington.
Whiteside was suspended for throwing an elbow at San Antonio center Boban Marjanovic’s head on Feb. 9. It was the 11th time in NBA history that a player has had at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game off the bench. It was Whiteside’s second 20-20 game in his career.
Luol Deng had 27 points a night after scoring 30 points in a victory at Atlanta, and Goran Dragic added a season-high 24 points and had eight assists and seven rebounds. The Heat played without All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh for the second consecutive game.
Wade has a sore left knee, and Bosh is out indefinitely because of a blood clot in his left leg.
Bradley Beal lead the Wizards with 19 points. Washington played for the third consecutive day and were looking for a rare third win in as many days after beating Utah and Detroit.
KNICKS 103, TIMBERWOLVES 95
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Carmelo Anthony had 30 points and 11 rebounds as New York beat the Timberwolves to snap a seven-game losing streak.
Robin Lopez had 26 points and 16 rebounds to give interim coach Kurt Rambis his first victory since taking over for the fired Derek Fisher three games ago. The Knicks outrebounded Minnesota 51-31 and led by 24 points early in the fourth quarter for their first victory since Jan. 29 against Phoenix.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and eight rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins scored 24 points for the Timberwolves. Ricky Rubio had 16 assists, but they dropped their second straight out of the All-Star break after winning three of four going into it.
BUCKS 117, HAWKS 109, 2OT
In Atlanta, Georgia, Jabari Parker had career highs of 28 points and 13 rebounds and Greg Monroe added 24 points as the Milwaukee Bucks outlasted the Hawks in double overtime to end a six-game road skid.
Paul Millsap finished with 27 points, and Dennis Schroder had 25 for the Hawks. Atlanta have lost three straight at home for the first time since March 2014.
The Bucks overcame the late absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who fouled out with 1 minute, 11 seconds left in regulation, and held on despite Monroe missing a layup that could have clinched the win in the closing seconds of the first overtime. Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, O.J. Mayo and Michael Carter-Williams each missed one of two free throws in the final seconds of regulation and the first overtime.
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
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