Golden State Warriors’ star Stephen Curry on Sunday celebrated his 33rd birthday with a 32-point performance that propelled the Warriors to a 131-119 victory over the NBA-leading Utah Jazz and snapped a four-game skid.
Curry got off to a sizzling start, connecting on 63 percent of his shots in a 14-point first quarter, in which the Warriors seized a lead they would not relinquish.
He finished 10-of-20 from the field with six three-pointers.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“It’s like that aging wine, right?” Curry said. “Keep it in the cellar and watch it get stronger and better, so I’m just enjoying the ride.”
Andrew Wiggins added 28 points and Draymond Green put up a triple-double of 11 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for the Warriors, who bounced back from a 130-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, when Curry made just one three-pointer.
The Warriors had not won since Feb. 26 — before the NBA’s All-Star break.
They also reversed their fortunes against a Jazz team that had beaten them five straight times.
“Our whole team played amazing tonight,” Curry said. “We took it personally to come out and play aggressive, focused defense. Everybody contributed.”
In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points and Serbian rookie Aleksej Pokusevski added a career-high 23, as the Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies 128-122, despite having just nine available players.
Trailing by 10 going into the fourth quarter, Oklahoma City scored 38 points in the final frame, their 58 percent overall shooting, helping them offset 24 turnovers.
A three-pointer from Pokusevski gave the Thunder a 109-108 lead with 6:10 remaining and they would not trail again.
The 19-year-old made five from beyond the arc, the second-youngest player after LeBron James, when he was 18, to make five three-pointers in a game.
“My teammates believe in me,” Pokusevski said. “They kept talking to me, every time I missed a shot, [they said] just keep playing and everything is going to be good.”
“When I have teammates like that, everything’s great,” he added.
“Poku” also pulled down 10 rebounds, surpassing former NBA Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant as the youngest player in franchise history to notch a double-double.
Elsewhere, the Philadelphia 76ers had Australian guard Ben Simmons back in action for the first time since a positive COVID-19 test forced him out of the All-Star Game in a 134-99 beatdown of the San Antonio Spurs.
Despite the absence of Joel Embiid, who suffered a bone bruise in his knee in an awkward landing from a dunk on Friday, the Sixers dominated in their fifth-consecutive win, improving their Eastern Conference-leading record to 27-12.
The Sixers were relieved the injury was not worse than first feared.
“He was happy that it isn’t as bad as a lot of people thought it was, probably including himself,” Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said. “Now that he knows all it takes is rehab, he has a game plan, we have a game plan and we’re moving forward with it.”
Also on Sunday, it was:
‧ 76ers 134, Spurs 99
‧ Heat 102, Magic 97
‧ Hawks 100, Cavaliers 82
‧ Celtics 132, Rockets 107
‧ T’wolves 114, Trail Blazers 112
‧ Bulls 118, Raptors 95
‧ Pelicans 135, Clippers 115
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