The Houston Rockets on Wednesday romped on the back of an NBA single-game record of 26 three-pointers, routing the Washington Wizards 136-118.
The crowd at Houston’s Toyota Center chanted: “One more three, one more three” when Michael Carter-Williams drained the record-breaker from beyond the arc with 31.1 seconds remaining and victory assured.
Gary Clark’s three-pointer with 2 minutes, 42 seconds to play had tied the previous mark of 25 set by the Cleveland Cavaliers against Atlanta in March last year.
Photo: AP
Reigning NBA MVP James Harden had six three-pointers on the way to 35 points. Chris Paul added five from beyond the arc, and Gerald Green and Eric Gordon made four apiece as the Rockets got back to their free-wheeling ways in a fifth straight victory.
“We’re just playing better,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “When you have the right spirit, you’re doing the right things, hustling, stuff falls in. If you don’t, you don’t make them.”
“Our energy is right the last five games,” D’Antoni added. “We’ve just got to keep it there.”
However, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that energy was a problem for the two-time defending champions in a 108-103 loss to the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
Stephen Curry scored 32 points, but the Warriors shot just 40 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from three-point range.
Kevin Durant finished with 30 points, but not before making just six of 18 from the field through the first three quarters.
Klay Thompson scored just 12 points, connecting on just three of 12 shots and missing all four of his three-point efforts.
“It’s not surprising, honestly,” Kerr said. “We’re not moving the ball, we’re not playing the way we’ve played the last few years where the ball is really moving and we’re generating great shots.”
The Jazz, whose shooting percentage was even worse than the Warriors’ at 39.8 percent, did not have that great of a game themselves, Kerr added.
Things were tight in Toronto, where Fred VanVleet drained the go-ahead three-pointer with 26.4 seconds left as the Raptors erased a 17-point second-half deficit to improve their NBA-leading record with a 99-96 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points and Pascal Siakam added 17 for the Raptors, who had lost two straight, but avoided a second three-game losing streak this season.
VanVleet scored nine of his 11 points in the final quarter as the Raptors again overcame the absence of point guard Kyle Lowry, who missed his third straight game with a left-thigh injury.
“To be honest, I was really disappointed with how we were playing,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. “In the end we finally started guarding. We told them to stay with it ... keep eating into them and hang in there, and we might be able to pull it out.”
Elsewhere on Wednesday, it was:
‧ Spurs 129, Magic 90
‧ Hornets 110, Cavaliers 99
‧ Pistons 129, T’wolves 123
‧ Trail Blazers 99, Grizzlies 92
‧ 76ers 131, Knicks 109
‧ Suns 111, Celtics 103
‧ Bucks 123, Pelicans 115
‧ Nets 96, Bulls 93
‧ Thunder 132, Kings 113
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