Stephen Curry got involved in a rare altercation before finishing with 22 points and 10 assists as the Golden State Warriors held off the Houston Rockets 126-113 on Wednesday night for their franchise-record 17th straight home win.
The typically mild-mannered Curry ran at Trevor Ariza after the Rockets forward bumped him on the way down court early in the third quarter. Curry had to be held back by teammates and officials called a technical foul on Ariza following a video review.
The Warriors had already grabbed control by outscoring Houston 30-13 in the second quarter. They led by 30 in the third before the Rockets’ reserves made the final margin closer.
Golden State swept the four-game season series against the Rockets for the first time since the 1973-to-1974 season.
James Harden had 33 points and six assists for Houston.
CAVALIERS 106, JAZZ 92
LeBron James scored 26 points and Kevin Love added 19 as the rejuvenated Cavaliers earned their fourth consecutive victory.
Shaking off a flu bug that forced him to miss practice on Tuesday and also slowed Kyrie Irving, James added nine assists and seven rebounds. The Cavs are 4-1 since the four-time MVP returned after missing eight games with a strained back and knee.
Irving added 18 points and Timofey Mozgov scored 16 for Cleveland, beginning to find their stride following a stretch of injuries and two major trades. J.R. Smith scored 15 as all five Cavs starters scored at least that many for the second straight game.
Enes Kanter had 24 points and 17 rebounds for Utah, who have dropped five of six. Gordon Hayward scored 14 points.
PELICANS 96, LAKERS 80
Anthony Davis scored 29 points and blocked four shots in his return from a sprained toe, leading the Pelicans to the win over Los Angeles.
Eric Gordon had 17 points and a season-high 10 assists for New Orleans. Tyreke Evans added 19 points and Quincy Pondexter finished with 12.
Los Angeles shot 37 percent from the field in its season-long sixth consecutive loss.
Lakers star Kobe Bryant returned after missing two games as part of coach Byron Scott’s plan to give the 36-year-old guard extra rest this season. He scored 14 points on six-of-14 shooting.
In other results, it was:
‧ Hawks 110, Pacers 91
‧ Thunder 105, Wizards 103, OT
‧ Pistons 128, Magic 118
‧ Suns 118, Trail Blazers 113
‧ Grizzlies 92, Raptors 86
‧ Nets 103, Kings 100
‧ Mavericks 98, Timberwolves 75
‧ Hornets 78, Heat 76
‧ Knicks 98, 76ers 91
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Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday scored twice and had an assist as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to end a three-match winless streak in La Liga. Eduardo Camavinga also found the net for Madrid as they moved back within one point of Barcelona, who beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday. Both 19th-round matches were moved forward because Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid are to play in the Supercopa de Espana semi-finals in Saudi Arabia next month. Real Madrid were coming off league draws against Girona, Elche and Rayo Vallecano. It was their second win in their past six matches in
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