Kevin Durant on Monday scored 23 points as the Golden State Warriors kept the pressure on the Denver Nuggets with a 110-93 defeat of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Durant was one of five Warriors players to make double figures as the depth of the NBA champions proved too much for Memphis at Oakland’s Oracle Arena.
Stephen Curry had 20 points and Klay Thompson 16 in a win that left the Warriors with a record of 21-10, just behind Western Conference leaders Denver, who are 20-9.
Photo: AP
Curry’s points haul took him past 15,000 for his career, making him the fifth player in Warriors franchise history to reach the milestone.
“It’s a really cool milestone, an unbelievable journey so far,” Curry said. “But it’s just more motivation to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m blessed to play this game with great teammates. We can all accomplish great things if we stay in the moment.”
Memphis’ scoring was led from the bench by former Warrior Omri Casspi’s 20 points.
Elsewhere, LaMarcus Aldridge bagged a double-double as the San Antonio Spurs handed the Philadelphia 76ers a chastening loss in a 123-96 blowout.
Aldridge spearheaded a fine all-round offensive display from San Antonio as the Spurs improved to 16-15 at the ATT Center in Texas.
Rudy Gay had 21 points, while DeMar DeRozan had 20 on a night when the Spurs dominated the Sixers in all departments.
The Sixers slipped to 20-12 following the loss.
Ben Simmons and J.J. Redick had 16 points apiece for the Sixers, but Joel Embiid was restricted to 13 points, while Jimmy Butler made only three of his 13 field-goal attempts.
In Houston, James Harden exploded for 47 points as the Rockets overpowered the Utah Jazz 102-97 to extend their winning streak to four games.
Reigning NBA MVP Harden produced a dazzling display to delight the home fans with a win that took the Rockets above .500 for the season.
Houston are now 15-14 for the season, while Utah have slipped to 14-17, one place off the bottom of the Western Conference.
Three other Houston players made double figures, with P.J. Tucker finishing with 16 points and Eric Gordon adding 12. Clint Capela hauled down 14 rebounds to dominate the boards.
However, it was Harden’s display that dominated the post-game discussion, with coach Mike D’Antoni leading the plaudits.
Harden has averaged just over 38 points per game in his past five games.
“This level, the last three or four games are as good as he ever played,” D’Antoni said. “It’s just the determination that he has.”
Donovan Mitchell led the Utah scoring with 23 points, while Rudy Gobert finished with 18.
In Monday’s other games, it was:
‧ T’wolves 132, Kings 105
‧ Thunder 121, Bulls 96
‧ T’Blazers 131, Clippers 127
‧ Bucks 107, Pistons 104
‧ Suns 128, Knicks 110
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