The Golden State Warriors’ record-setting home winning streak ended on Friday as the Boston Celtics defeated the reigning NBA champions 109-106.
The Warriors had won 54 straight regular-season games on their home floor in Oakland, California, a record streak dating back 14 months — to Jan. 27 last year.
“It’s a weird feeling,” Warriors star Stephen Curry said. “We’ve just got to be able to move on from it. Maybe it’s a good reminder going into the playoffs [that] we don’t want this feeling.”
Photo: AP
The Warriors had won the last 18 home games of last season and had opened this campaign with 36 straight in front of fans in Oakland.
“We wanted to stop that,” said Boston’s Isaiah Thomas, who scored all 22 of his points in the second half. “As a team, we just settled down and got a win in a hostile environment.”
The Warriors, who suffered just their eighth defeat of the season, are still chasing regular-season history in the shape of the NBA record of 72 wins in a campaign set by the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls.
The Warriors, now 68-8, must win five of their last six games to beat the Bulls’ record.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr had his criticisms of his players, but said after the defeat he congratulated them.
“They just won 54 home games in a row,” Kerr said. “What our guys have accomplished is incredible. I don’t know if people understand the intensity it takes and the work it takes to put together a streak like that.”
That said, Kerr said the Warriors’ execution was “bad.”
“You know, 22 turnovers that led to 27 points... We just weren’t able to get a rhythm until it was really late and then we needed to make every play and we didn’t do that.”
After Harrison Barnes drained a three-pointer to pull the Warriors within 107-106 with 10.2 seconds to play, the Celtics called a timeout and got the ball to Thomas, who snuck behind the Warriors’ defense for the game-clinching basket.
The Warriors still had two chances to tie, but Curry misfired from three-point range and although Golden State corralled the rebound Barnes was off-target with a desperation attempt.
The Celtics, who had taken the Warriors to double-overtime before losing in Boston on Dec. 11 last year, were coming off a 116-109 loss at Portland on Thursday, but kept pace with the Miami Heat in the battle for the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said the key was his team’s ability to hang on in the face of Golden State’s 36-point third quarter — keyed by Curry’s 21 points in the frame.
The Celtics scored 37 themselves in the period to take an 82-79 lead into the fourth.
“I thought the biggest moments to the game were us scoring consecutively when [Curry] scored,” Stevens said. “Because when he got going — that’s usually when they run away with a 10-0 or a 12-0 run.”
The Warriors maintained a four-and-a-half-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs atop the Western Conference standings.
CAVALIERS 110, HAWKS 108, OT
LeBron James and Cleveland on Friday tried to put Atlanta away in the first half, building a 21-point lead in the second quarter, but ended up needing overtime to get the job done.
James finished with 29 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, while Kyrie Irving hit some big free throws in overtime to lead the Cavaliers past the Hawks 110-108 at the Philips Arena.
It was the sixth straight win for the Cavaliers over Atlanta, including last season’s four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference finals.
The score was tied 96-96 when James missed a fadeaway jumper from the baseline, giving the ball back to Atlanta with 4.9 seconds remaining.
However, the Hawks failed to get a shot off on their last possession of regulation and Irving made five of six free throws in the final 30 seconds of overtime to help fend off the Hawks.
Jeff Teague finished with 28 points and nine assists for the Hawks.
MAVERICKS 98, PISTONS 89
J.J. Barea poured in 29 points as Dallas won their third straight game by cooling off Detroit at The Palace.
Dirk Nowitzki supplied 19 points for Dallas. Wesley Matthews had 17 points and Devin Harris chipped in 13.
Marcus Morris’ season-high 31 points and 12 rebounds led the Pistons, who had won six of their last seven games.
Andre Drummond posted his 63rd double-double with 12 points and 17 rebounds.
RAPTORS 99, GRIZZLIES 95
DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points, Kyle Lowry added 22 and Jonas Valanciunas led a strong defensive effort that carried Toronto over Memphis at FedExForum.
Valanciunas finished with a career-high seven blocked shots and a team-best 14 rebounds. His inside defensive presence helped the Raptors limit the Grizzlies to 12 points in the paint in the second half. Memphis had 26 in the first half.
The injury-depleted Grizzlies lost their fifth straight. Zach Randolph led Memphis with 16 points and the bench scored 52 points.
JAZZ 98, TIMBERWOLVES 85
Gordon Hayward scored 22 points and Utah overcame a sluggish first half against Minnesota.
The Jazz played without Derrick Favors, but his replacement, Trey Lyles, had one of the best games of his rookie season.
Lyles scored 17 of his 18 points in the first half to help keep Utah in the game.
All five Jazz starters finished in double figures. Rodney Hood finished with 17 points, Shelvin Mack added 16 and Rudy Gobert contributed 10 points and 14 rebounds.
The win kept Utah in a tie for the seventh playoff spot in the West with Dallas.
HORNETS 100, 76ERS 91
Kemba Walker had 27 points and 11 rebounds as Charlotte moved closer to clinching a playoff spot.
The Hornets started slowly and looked flat and uninspired at times, but it was still enough to beat the lowly Sixers for the second time this week. Charlotte wound up leading by as many as 16 points in the second half.
The Hornets have won three straight and five of their last six. Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is one.
KNICKS 105, NETS 91
Langston Galloway came off the bench to score 18 points, leading New York over Brooklyn in Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks snapped a three-game losing streak. The Nets have lost nine straight road games.
Derrick Williams scored 16 points and rookie guard Jerian Grant, making his first start of the season at point guard, added 14 points for the Knicks.
BUCKS 113, MAGIC 110
Giannis Antetokounmpo notched his franchise record fifth triple-double of the season and Jabari Parker capped a 26-point night with a go-ahead hook shot in the closing seconds as Milwaukee rallied past Orlando at the Bradley Center.
Antetokounmpo finished with 18 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds. Greg Monroe and Khris Middleton also finished with 18 points apiece and Tyler Ennis added 15.
Nikola Vucevic led Orlando with 22 points off the bench.
In other NBA action, it was
‧ Heat 112, Kings 106
‧ Wizards 106, Suns 99
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