The Golden State Warriors withstood Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 52-point outburst to beat the Western Conference leading Thunder 116-109 on Wednesday.
Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half as Golden State erased a double-digit deficit and pulled away late for the victory.
"We just stayed solid," said Curry, who entered the contest mired in shooting slump and had just four points on one basket in the first half. "Just all-around effort."
The Thunder, fueled by 31 first-half points from Gilgeous-Alexander, led by as many as 14 in the first half and were up 58-48 at the break.
But the Warriors turned it around and they went into the fourth quarter tied.
The teams traded the lead five times in the opening minutes of the final frame, Kevon Looney putting Golden State ahead for good with a pair of free-throws with 8:18 remaining.
Curry's three-pointer put Golden State up 109-103 with 1:52 remaining. Wiggins added a three-pointer and Gary Payton II threw down a dunk as the Warriors pulled away.
"We need every win possible," Curry said after the Warriors improved to 24-23 -- knocking on the door for a play-in tournament berth.
"(We) haven't really developed anything consistent in terms of the win column. So this is a great test."
The defeat dropped the Thunder to 37-9, a hair behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for best record in the league.
The Short-handed Cavs, fueled by 34 points from Donovan Mitchell, beat the Miami Heat 126-106 to maintain their lead over the reigning champion Boston Celtics atop the East.
Darius Garland, averaging 21.7 points per game for the Cavs, was held out to rest while Caris LeVert and Isaac Okoro remained sidelined by injuries.
Evan Mobley scored 22 points and pulled down 15 rebounds and Ty Jerome added 20 points off the bench for Cleveland, who improved to 38-9 and remained 5.5 games ahead of the Celtics, who thumped the Chicago Bulls 122-100 in Boston.
The New York Knicks are a further game back after a 122-112 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Kristaps Porzingis was the driving force in Boston, drilling eight three-pointers on the way to 34 points with 11 rebounds and three steals for the Celtics.
Jaylen Brown added 28 points, six rebounds and six assists, Derrick White added 22 points and Jayson Tatum -- questionable to start with a sore knee -- scored 16.
The Knicks, fueled by 30 points and 15 assists from Jalen Brunson, notched a fifth straight win.
Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 33 points. NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic was in foul trouble early and finished with 17 points six rebounds and six assists for Denver, who slumped to a third straight defeat.
Pacers Top Pistons
Things got heated in Indianapolis, where Pascal Siakam scored 37 points and Tyrese Haliburton added 30 points and eight assists for the Indiana Pacers in a 133-119 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Two weeks after tempers flared when the teams met in Detroit, the Pistons' frustration was obvious.
Detroit picked up a pair of technical fouls in the first 17 minutes and Isaiah Stewart was ejected after shoving Indiana's Thomas Bryant early in the second quarter.
There were tense moments in San Antonio, where Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell scored 27 points apiece to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 128-116 victory over the Spurs.
Ivica Zubac scored 21 points and grabbed 22 rebounds for the Clippers, and sparked the ire of Spurs star Victor Wembanyama when he gave the Frenchman a shove in the third quarter.
Wembanyama rose from the court and tried to chase down Zubac before he was held back by teammates and coaches.
Zubac said he thought he'd been fouled by Wemby on a prior play and "reacted a little".
"I let emotions take over a little bit, but I apologized to him," Zubac said.
Wembanyama, who finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, admitted his own reaction was due to as much to "frustration" as anger at Zubac.
With AFP
Comments