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    Tuesday, April 30, 2024

    NBA roundup

    Golden State's Draymond Green passes over the Suns' Devin Booker during the first half of Wednesday's game in Phoenix. The Warriors won, 112-104. (Matt York/AP Photo)

    Warriors 112, Suns 104

    The Golden State-Phoenix mismatch wasn't the blowout most expected, just another routine Warriors victory.

    Stephen Curry nearly had a triple-double before sitting out the fourth quarter, and the Warriors stormed into the All-Star break on an 11-game winning streak with a victory over the free-falling Suns on Wednesday night.

    "It wasn't our best effort but I told them before the game keep the turnovers down, just be solid and we should be fine," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "For the most part, we did a good job of taking care of the ball. Thirteen turnovers is a pretty good number for us. We didn't do much else that well but it was enough."

    Curry had 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the defending NBA champions. At 48-4, the Warriors enter the break with the best record through 52 games in NBA history, one win better than the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls and 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers. Those Bulls finished the season with a league-record 72 wins.

    Kerr called his team's record "shocking."

    "Nobody has ever done it, right?" he said. "Fifty-two games in to have only lost four games is remarkable. It speaks to the talent and chemistry of the players. We have a deep roster and they love playing together, they enjoy winning and they are good at it."

    Klay Thompson added 24 points for Golden State. He called those 52 games "kind of a blur."

    "It has gone by really fast," he said. "Winning obviously helps that but we couldn't have asked for a better pre-All-Star break performance. We still have some room for improvement, believe it or not, but it is really surreal to be 48-4."

    Curry called the 48-4 record "pretty satisfying."

    "We handled a lot of different challenges pretty well this first half of the season," he said.

    Archie Goodwin scored 20 points and Markieff Morris 19 for the Suns, who have lost nine straight and 24 of 26. Rookie guard Devin Booker added 15 points and a career-best 10 assists.

    Goodwin and Morris emerged the team's leading scorers after scuffling on the bench during a first-quarter timeout.

    "That's part of being a big brother, being a leader," Morris said. "Sometimes little brothers and big brothers get into it. That's what happened — wrong place, wrong time."

    Golden State was up by as many as 22 points in the second and third quarters, but the Suns cut it to 11 late in the third and 10 a couple of times in the fourth. The only time Phoenix got within single digits in the second half was on Goodwin's breakaway dunk just before the final buzzer.

    Phoenix stayed with the Warriors shot for shot for a little while and was down only 29-28 after one quarter.

    But the Warriors took off with a 16-0 second-quarter run. Curry sank a 28-foot 3-pointer, followed immediately by a 29-footer, and Green made a pair of free throws to put Golden State up 53-35 with 2:15 left in the half. The Warriors led 57-43 at the break.

    Trail Blazers 116, Rockets 103

    Damian Lillard sparked a second-quarter outburst for Portland and finished with 31 points and nine assists in a win over Houston.

    Maurice Harkless set season highs with 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Blazers, who moved past Houston into a tie with Utah for seventh place in the Western Conference standings. They enter the All-Star break having won three in a row and eight of nine.

    James Harden had 34 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for the Rockets, who have dropped three straight and six of eight to fall out of playoff position. Dwight Howard dominated the paint with 28 points and 13 rebounds.

    After trailing by as many as 21 in the second half, Houston closed to 93-88 early in the fourth quarter. But a Blazers timeout led to a scoring burst that restored the lead to 20 with 3:47 to go.

    Cavaliers 120, Lakers 111

    Kobe Bryant's final game in Cleveland was reduced to a sideshow when Cavaliers forward Kevin Love re-injured his surgically repaired left shoulder in the first half of a win over Los Angeles.

    Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 35 points and LeBron James 29 for the Cavs, who head into the All-Star break with one of their "Big 3" injured.

    Love quickly left the floor late in the second quarter after he got hurt while working in the post against Bryant. He did not return in the second half, and the Cavs did not provide any specifics about his injury.

    Bryant finished with 17 points in his last performance in Cleveland. Lou Williams scored 28 to lead the Lakers, who have dropped 13 of 15.

    Spurs 98, Magic 96

    Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points and drilled a jumper from the tip of the key with 0.9 on the clock to lift San Antonio to a win over Orlando.

    LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 points and Patty Mills added 17 points and seven assists for the Spurs, who won their fourth straight game.

    Evan Fournier, whose 3-pointer tied the game with 13.3 seconds left, led Orlando with 28 points. Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and 13 rebounds, Victor Oladipo scored 14 and Elfrid Payton had 13 points and seven assists.

    Payton missed an open layup at the buzzer that could have tied it.

    Kings 114, 76ers 110

    DeMarcus Cousins had 28 points and 12 rebounds, and Darren Collison scored 21 of his 25 points after halftime to lead Sacramento to a comeback victory.

    Rajon Rondo added 14 points, eight rebounds and 15 assists for the Kings, who snapped a four-game losing streak overall and six-game skid on the road while winning for just the second time in their last 10. It also allowed Sacramento to enter the break on a positive note following a tumultuous week that included rumors of the impending dismissal of coach George Karl.

    Rookie Jahlil Okafor tied his career high with 26 points to go with 10 rebounds, and Robert Covington scored a career-high 29 points for the 76ers, who played without top big man Nerlens Noel.

    Hawks 113, Bulls 90

    Jeff Teague had 17 points and eight assists, Al Horford scored 16 and Atlanta routed struggling Chicago.

    Dennis Schroder had 18 points and hit three of his team's 13 3-pointers. Paul Millsap scored 15, and the Southeast Division leaders headed into the All-Star break on a winning note after back-to-back losses to last-place Orlando.

    The Hawks led by five at halftime and broke it open in the third quarter, sending the sloppy Bulls to their fourth straight loss and 13th in 18 games.

    Pau Gasol had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago after being selected Tuesday to his sixth All-Star team as a replacement for injured Bulls teammate Jimmy Butler.

    Wolves 117, Raptors 112

    Karl-Anthony Towns had 35 points and 11 rebounds, and Minnesota came back from 18 points down to stun Toronto.

    Canadian star Andrew Wiggins scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, including a jumper with under 2 minutes to go that gave Minnesota a 112-109 lead. Ricky Rubio had 19 points, eight assists and eight rebounds to outplay All-Star Kyle Lowry, and the Wolves used a huge advantage at the free-throw line to close out a team that had won 14 of its last 15 games.

    DeMar DeRozan scored 35 points for the Raptors, who head home to host All-Star weekend beginning on Friday.

    Pelicans 100, Jazz 96

    Anthony Davis capped a 19-point night with a running left-handed hook and 3-pointer in the final minute, and New Orleans beat Utah to snap the Jazz's seven-game winning streak.

    Jrue Holiday scored 21 points for the Pelicans, who won their second straight. Davis scored all but three of his points in the second half. His running hook from about 5 feet out gave New Orleans a 94-92 lead with 59 seconds remaining. His 3 made it 97-93 with 35 seconds left.

    Derrick Favors scored 29 and Gordon Hayward, 21 for Utah, but each missed a free throw in the final minute.

    Rodney Hood added 15 for Utah, but the Jazz turned the ball over 17 times and missed 14 of 21 shots from 3-point range.

    Grizzlies 109, Nets 90

    Mike Conley scored 20 points, Jeff Green had 12 of his 18 in the third quarter, and Memphis beat Brooklyn in its first game since losing Marc Gasol to a broken right foot.

    The Grizzlies unleashed a strong perimeter attack in the absence of their franchise center, making seven 3-pointers in a 39-point third quarter that blew open the game.

    Zach Randolph finished with 15 points for the Grizzlies, who were coming off consecutive losses, both in overtime.

    Brook Lopez led Brooklyn with 20 points.

    Nuggets 103, Pistons 92

    Will Barton scored 15 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, and Denver held off depleted Detroit, which was without three starters.

    Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been out with a core muscle strain, and the team announced before the game that Reggie Jackson and Ersan Ilyasova had been ill and would be sidelined as well.

    Denver led by eight early in the fourth, but the Pistons closed to 83-82 after consecutive 3-pointers by Anthony Tolliver. Randy Foye made a 3 to halt that run, and Denver was able to hold onto its lead the rest of the way.

    Andre Drummond had 15 points and 17 rebounds for Detroit but shot 7 of 22 from the field.

    Hornets 117, Pacers 95

    Kemba Walker scored 25 points and Jeremy Lamb had 16 as suddenly surging Charlotte rolled to a victory over Indiana.

    Six players scored in double figures for the Hornets (27-26), who won their third straight — and their first at Indiana since November 2008.

    Paul George led the Pacers with 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

    Charlotte started the second quarter on a 17-4 run to take a 42-29 lead.

    And with Indiana's defense struggling to stay in front of the Hornets' deft drivers and potent 3-point shooters, the Pacers never had a chance.

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