Stephen Curry on Saturday night had 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists as Golden State overcame Draymond Green’s absence to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-102 for their 11th straight victory.
Curry shot 13 for 19 with four three-pointers, while Kevin Durant added 28 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and a career-high six blocked shots. Klay Thompson scored 23 points, with four three-pointers.
Green sat out a day after bruising his left ankle at Los Angeles in a collision with teammate Ian Clark, who also missed the game after being hit in the throat on the play.
Photo: AP
“Without Ian and Draymond, our bench was thinned out,” coach Steve Kerr said.
For the Timberwolves, Zach LaVine scored 31 points with five three-pointers, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 12 of his 18 points in the first quarter on six-for-10 shooting.
In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Russell Westbrook recorded his second straight triple-double and NBA-best seventh of the season with 17 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds as the Thunder beat the Detroit Pistons 106-88.
Westbrook, who tied LeBron James for sixth on the NBA’s career list with 44 triple-doubles, shot just eight for 22 from the field after scoring at least 30 points in eight straight games. It was just the second time this year Westbrook failed to score 20.
“I’m happy we won, that’s the most important part for me, but I definitely don’t take anything for granted,” Westbrook said. “Every night I step on the floor, I try to compete at a high level and I’m thankful that I can play the game I love every night.”
Anthony Morrow scored 21 points off the bench to lead the Thunder (10-8), who were playing their fourth game in six nights in four different cities. Victor Oladipo added 18, while Steven Adams had 16 points and nine rebounds.
Tobias Harris scored 21 points for the Pistons, who have lost five of their last seven.
In Washington, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points while Tony Parker added 20 as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Wizards 112- for their ninth straight victory.
The Spurs (14-3) swept a three-game road swing and are a perfect 10-0 away from home.
“I do want to go home. I don’t want to play at home,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said jokingly after the game. “You’ve got no choice, no choice.”
Kawhi Leonard scored 19 for San Antonio, who shot 53.3 percent (40 of 75) from the field. The Spurs led by 10 at halftime and as many as 19 in the second half.
Kemba Walker scored 28 points and Jeremy Lamb added 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds as the Charlotte Hornets snapped a four-game losing streak with a 107-102 win over the New York Knicks.
Frank Kaminsky added 14 points, including two clutch three-pointers late in the fourth quarter, while Kristaps Porzingis led the Knicks with 25 points.
In Miami, Marc Gasol scored a season-high 28 points as the Memphis Grizzlies beat Miami 110-107.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt knocked reigning champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 3-2 win in the quarter-finals on Saturday, while Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 to set up a clash with hosts Morocco. In Agadir, Morocco, a thrilling last-eight tie saw Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia net in the first half for the Pharaohs before an own goal by Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh brought the Ivorians back into it. Salah then got Egypt’s third early in the second half and they held on after Guela Doue again reduced the deficit. Egypt is to face Senegal
AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE: Sabalenka aims to follow up with a third Australian Open win, while Taiwanese Joanna Garland claimed a WTA 125 title in Canberra Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row yesterday, a week ahead of the Australian Open. Sabalenka looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world No. 1. However, Sabalenka showed her class and power as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final. “I struggled against her a couple of times [in
Brandon Miller scored 18 points, LaMelo Ball had 17 and the Charlotte Hornets built a 47-point lead in the first half of a 150-95 rout against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. It was the second-biggest win in franchise history for the Hornets and their largest on the road. The Hornets bounced back from a pair of frustrating losses in a big way, having fallen to Toronto by one point and Indiana by two in their last two games. Charlotte pounded the NBA champion Thunder by 27 in Oklahoma City before those defeats, previously the Hornets’ most lopsided victory of the season. Tre
RSS