NBA: Klay Thompson (21 points) guides Warriors past Pistons

Klay Thompson had the best performance of his five-game-old season Tuesday night, hitting three 3-pointers among a game-high 21 points as the Golden State Warriors opened a seven-game homestand with a 102-86 romp over the Detroit Pistons in San Francisco.

Andrew Wiggins chipped in with 19 points and Stephen Curry had 18. Thompson, still early in his comeback from ACL and Achilles injuries, played 22 minutes.

Rodney McGruder, playing for the first time since his trade to the Denver Nuggets was voided, paced the Pistons with a season-high 19 points off the bench.Coming off a 1-3 trip, the Warriors wasted little time getting back in the swing of things, getting nine points from Wiggins, six from Curry and five from Thompson in a game-opening, 26-13 flurry.

The advantage mushroomed to 66-38 by halftime and maxed out at 73-39 in the fourth minute of the third quarter before the Warriors coasted to their third consecutive home win.

Thompson, who had shot just 35.7 percent both overall and on 3-point attempts while averaging 13.8 points in his first four games, went 6-for-13 from the field and 3-for-8 from long distance.

He also made all six of his free throws, making him 11-for-11 at the line for the season.

Curry, who also found time for a game-high eight assists and three steals, added four 3-pointers and Wiggins had three for the Warriors, who outscored the Pistons 42-27 from beyond the arc.

Golden State rookie Jonathan Kuminga responded to his third start of the season with his first double-double, grabbing a season-best 10 rebounds to complement 12 points.

Kevon Looney also had 10 rebounds for the Warriors, who outrebounded the guests 54-50.

McGruder, who had been inactive for Detroit's previous three games, scored 11 more points than he'd recorded in any game this season. He sank four of the Pistons' nine 3-pointers.

Hamidou Diallo added 16 points, Isaiah Stewart 14, Trey Lyles 13 and Saddiq Bey 10 for the Pistons, who had won three of their previous five games.

Rookie Cade Cunningham shot just 3-for-10 and was limited to eight points for Detroit, which was opening a four-game Western swing that continues Wednesday night in Sacramento.

Diallo and Stewart both logged double-doubles, Diallo with a game-high 13 rebounds and Stewart with 11 boards.

-reuters

DeMarcus Cousins hits winning free throws to lift Warriors past Heat

OAKLAND, Calif. — Kevin Durant scored 39 points and DeMarcus Cousins made two free throws with 5.4 seconds to play that helped the Golden State Warriors cap a comeback from a 19-point deficit in the first quarter to beat the Miami Heat 120-118 on Sunday night.

Cousins rebounded a missed 3-pointer by Durant and drew a foul, setting the stage for his winning free throws that gave the Warriors their 11th double-digit comeback of the season, and second straight after rallying from 17 points down in the first quarter Friday in Phoenix.

Miami overcame an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game on a 3-pointer by Justise Winslow. Josh Richardson and Dwyane Wade then had back-to-back steals and layups to put the Heat up 118-115 with 51.5 seconds to play.

Durant then tied it with a 3-pointer and Cousins made his big shots after both teams missed from long range to give the Warriors their 15th win in 16 games.

Klay Thompson scored 29 points and Stephen Curry added 25 for Golden State.

Richardson helped shoot Miami to the big early lead and finished with a career-high 37 points with help from eight 3-pointers. Waiters added 24 and Winslow had 22 in Miami’s fifth loss in six games.

The Warriors went on a 12-0 run early in the third quarter starting with a 3-pointer from Curry to take a 66-61 lead. But Miami wouldn’t go away and the Warriors needed to fight until the final horn to secure the win.

The Heat went on a 24-2 run early in the first quarter and quickly built a 19-point lead against the slow-starting Warriors. But Golden State scored the final six points of the frame, including a 3-pointer from Jonas Jerebko to cut the deficit to 10 points after one.

TIP-INS

Heat: Wade played despite a scary fall Friday in Sacramento that left him with a bruised back. “Any one of us would probably be in a body brace right now. But he’s built like Captain America,” coach Eric Spoelstra said. Wade got a standing ovation following a video tribute during the first quarter timeout in his final regular season game in the Bay Area before retiring after the season. Wade finished with 10 points.

Warriors: F Andre Iguodala sat out after tweaking his left hamstring on Friday. … The Warriors have scored at least 100 points in 26 straight games, their longest streak since a 36-gamer in 2016-17. … Draymond Green was called for his 11th technical foul early in the fourth quarter when he wanted a goaltending called when Bam Adebayo blocked Shaun Livingston’s shot. Durant was called for his 10th later in the quarter.

FREE AGENCY TALK

The Warriors have grown tired of talk about NBA free agency, but coach Steve Kerr was happy to chime in when it came to baseball’s market. When asked about the possibility that free agent slugger Bryce Harper could sign with the San Francisco Giants, the noted Los Angeles Dodgers fan was all in favor of it.

“I’d love it if Bryce Harper came here,” Kerr said. “Does my opinion matter? Bryce, come to the Giants. Let’s go!”

UP NEXT

Heat: Visit Denver on Monday.

Warriors: Host Utah on Tuesday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Klay Thompson plays through pain in Game 2 win for Warriors

OAKLAND, California — Draymond Green saw Klay Thompson limping on his tender left ankle a day before Game 2 of the NBA Finals and quickly texted Nick Young to tell him the Golden State Warriors would need big minutes from the backup.

But Golden State’s most durable player and understated star once again managed to play through the pain and scored 20 points to help the Warriors beat Cleveland 122-103 to take a 2-0 series lead Sunday night.

“He came out there and gutted through it,” Green said. “Even if you saw him take the first lay-up he took in warmups and ran back to the locker room. It’s like he’s not going to have it. Sure enough he did. I mean, that’s just a microcosm of who he is, one of the toughest guys if not the toughest guy I’ve ever played with. He’ll never get credit for it because he’s not going to physically beat you up. But one of the toughest, if not the toughest guy for sure.”



Green might be the loudest of Golden State’s four superstars and Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are the most accomplished. Thompson often flies a bit under the radar, just delivering lockdown defense and long-range shooting that help the Warriors thrive.

He’s so consistent and always available, having played in a franchise record 100 playoff games without missing a single one, that he sometimes gets overlooked. But after Cleveland’s J.R. Smith awkwardly fell into his left leg in the first half of Game 1, sending Thompson to the locker room following the scary fall, there has been plenty of focus on if he’d be able to play.

He made it back for the rest of Game 1 and scored 24 points in a 124-114 overtime win Thursday before the injury got worse the next day. But he still managed to play in Game 2 and shot 8 for 13, making three 3-pointers to become the sixth player with 300 in a career in the playoffs.

“Being on the training table for, it felt like, three straight days. That’s something I’m not used to,” Thompson said. “But at this point in the season, any means necessary. And the ankle feels great. I won’t do much tomorrow and I’ll do a little bit Tuesday. But I’m just going to conserve all I’ve got for Wednesday because I don’t want to play with it. It’s something that you use a lot. I didn’t realize how much you use your ankle until you hurt it …”

That drew a quick quip from Curry, who has been plagued by ankle injuries throughout his career.

“You should have asked me,” Curry said.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Golden State’s Iguodala still struggling with bruised knee

HOUSTON — Andre Iguodala’s bruised left knee improved Wednesday, but he was still listed as questionable for the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.

Iguodala missed Tuesday night’s game after banging his left knee in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game. Kerr says: “He’s feeling a little better today. He’s out on the floor, not doing a whole lot but making progress.”

Houston got a 95-92 win in Game 4 on Tuesday to even the series at 2-2 heading in Thursday’s game.

Klay Thompson is also listed as questionable after straining his left knee Tuesday night. But Kerr said that Thompson was “moving around really well” on Wednesday and that he thought he’d be fine.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Warriors use big second quarter to pull away, crush Pelicans

OAKLAND, Calif. — Kevin Durant had 26 points and 13 rebounds, Draymond Green dazzled all over the floor with his fourth career postseason triple-double, and the Golden State Warriors thoroughly overmatched the New Orleans Pelicans for a 123-101 win in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals Saturday night.

Green finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals and two blocks and just with his hustle and energy helped the defending champions pull away with a superb, decisive second quarter.

Now, they likely get Stephen Curry back for Game 2 on Tuesday night and all that he brings — even if in a limited role initially.


Anthony Davis had 21points and 10 rebounds, scoring 10 in the first quarter before having a tougher time generating shots the rest of the way to finish 9 for 20. Jrue Holiday was held to 4-for-14 shooting and 11 points.

Golden State again played without two-time MVP Curry, who has been sidelined since March 23 with a sprained left knee. Coach Steve Kerr called it “very likely” Curry would play Game 2 in the best-of-seven series.

Klay Thompson, who led Golden State with 27 points, hit back-to-back 3-pointers late in the first half that made it 76-48. But New Orleans ended the second on a 7-0 run and Darius Miller’s 73-foot heave at the halftime buzzer counted after review, getting the Pelicans within 76-55 at the break. They hit another buzzer-beater to end the third but it was way too late.

Rajon Rondo had nine points and dished out 11 assists for New Orleans.

But once Golden State got going in transition, Oracle Arena started rocking and the Pelicans couldn’t keep pace — with tempo being something the Warriors know is key this series. They opened the second with a 13-5 burst and were on their way.

Davis, who averaged 33 points, 12 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in a first-round sweep of Portland, made 5 of 7 shots in the opening period.

Green has been brilliant on the boards as Golden State keeps taking its defense up a level. He had games of 19 and 18 rebounds in the final two matchups of a five-game series with San Antonio in the first round.

Nick Young started at forward for the Warriors while 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala remained in the starting lineup in place of Curry as Golden State won a franchise-record 13th straight postseason home game.


The Warriors swept the Pelicans in the only other playoff meeting between the franchises in the 2015 first round as Golden State went on to capture its first championship in 40 years.

HIGH-FLYING W’S

Golden State had its highest scoring postseason first half as well as second quarter. The 76 points topped 73 against Phoenix on May 4, 1994, while 41 in the second bested 40 scored against Utah on May 11, 2007.

Golden State shot 13 for 20 in the second, making four 3s and 11 of 14 free throws.

PALS

Kerr and Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry shared a nice greeting and laugh before the series got going. As general manager in Phoenix, Kerr worked with Gentry and then made him the first call to be his top assistant when Kerr became head coach of the Warriors before the 2014-15 season.

CURRY OUT

As usual, Curry insisted he “feels great and he’s ready to go,” said Kerr, who is encouraged his superstar point guard feels so good.

“Just made the decision based on giving him the extra few days and the fact he only scrimmaged yesterday,” Kerr said. “You’ve been out five weeks and we’re playing in the playoffs, I don’t think one scrimmage is enough, even though he feels great, he wants to play and pleaded his case. But we’re going to sit him tonight and very likely he’ll play Game 2.”

Curry returned to full practice with contact Thursday and only scrimmaged 5 on 5 for the first time Friday, and Kerr prefers that Curry get additional on-court time at full speed Sunday.

TIP-INS

Pelicans: The Pelicans’ 126-120 win April 7 in Oakland snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Warriors. “We approach the game as if everybody’s washed their hands of everything that has happened,” Gentry said. … Gentry received a technical at the 8:43 mark of the first quarter. … The Pelicans shot 7 for 23 in the second. … New Orleans surrendered 110 or more points in the last 11 regular-season games against Golden State.

Warriors: Green topped Tom Gola’s three playoff triple-doubles for most in franchise history. … Young, who played 21 minutes, made a 3 on his first shot and another late in the game on his second attempt. … Golden State has won 25 of the last 27 meetings overall vs. the Pelicans. … Jay-Z and Beyonce sat courtside.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Book it: Devin Booker hits 28 to win 3-point contest

Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns won the 3-point contest with a record 28 points in the final round. He beat 2016 champion Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors and Tobias Harris of the Los Angeles Clippers.

“It feels really good,” Booker said. “I wanted to go out there and make a name for myself.”

Did he ever. He was sensational in the final round on Saturday, when he missed only five of 25 shots.

Each player shot five five-ball racks with a one-minute time limit. The final ball of each one was a “money ball” worth two points, and one of the racks, usually the last one, was all money balls. Booker made the money ball shot on his first four racks, and then made four of the five balls on the money ball rack.

Harris, Booker and Thompson advanced from the eight-man field to the finals. Harris scored 17 points before Booker scorched the nets for 28 points. Thompson followed and scored 25 points.

The previous record was 27 points, set by Stephen Curry in 2015 and matched by Thompson the following year.

Booker, the 21-year-old sharpshooter in his third season with Phoenix, is averaging 24.2 points per game this season as the NBA’s 12th-leading scorer. Eleven months after the shooting guard dropped 70 points against Boston to become the youngest player in NBA history to score even 60 in a game, Booker added another accolade to his promising career with the 3-Point title.

Thompson beat the buzzer with his final shot of the first round to reach the finals with 19 points. Booker also scored 19 and Harris had 18.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Thompson, Durant lead injured Warriors to 10th straight win

OAKLAND, California — Klay Thompson scored 27 of his 29 points in the first half and made his first nine field goals, leading the undermanned Golden State Warriors past the Memphis Grizzlies 97-84 on Wednesday (Thursday Manila time) for their 10th straight win.


Kevin Durant added 22 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots as defending champion Golden State was down five regulars again, including two-time MVP Stephen Curry out for his sixth straight game with a sprained right ankle.

Thompson shot 10 for 16 overall and didn’t miss until a 3-point try with 6:10 left before halftime.

Curry tweeted in the midst of Thompson’s hot start: “Somebody is having a great game!”

Thompson received a rare technical — his seventh in seven seasons — with 10:22 left in the game for arguing when he thought he was fouled.

Marc Gasol had 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists for Memphis, which started a stretch with seven of eight games on the road. The Grizzlies were 10 of 44 in the second half, shot 12 for 31 from 3-point range and committed 17 turnovers.

Omri Casspi came off the bench to contribute 12 points and six rebounds. While coach Steve Kerr would far prefer a healthy roster, he appreciates the opportunities many of his role players are receiving to play more significant an important minutes.

“I like it,” said Kerr, who certainly wasn’t going to be pleased with the 16 turnovers.

The Warriors began a seven-game homestand in a stretch with nine of 10 games at home before next playing away from Oracle Arena on Jan. 3 at Dallas.

Curry did some light on-court work at morning shootaround a day after the Warriors said the two-time MVP would be out at least another week with the ankle injury. Kerr said it was Curry’s first time moving laterally, and he wouldn’t scrimmage or practice before being examined again.

“He had a good day today. He was working out with Steve Nash and Q (Bruce Fraser) and got a lot of good stuff and it looked like he was moving pretty well,” Kerr said. “A good sign.”

Golden State has won all six games since Curry injured the ankle on Dec. 4 at New Orleans.

Curry will miss two more games this week, as well as the Christmas Day showdown against Cleveland before getting evaluated again.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Curry comes through in OT, Warriors outlast Lakers

LOS ANGELES, California—After struggling from long range all night, Stephen Curry hit two quick 3-pointers to open overtime and the Golden State Warriors outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers 127-123 on Wednesday.

The victory prevented the Warriors from losing two straight games for the first time this season.

Kevin Durant led Golden State with 29 points, while Curry added 28 and Klay Thompson 20. Curry had 13 points in overtime.

Brandon Ingram scored a career-high 32 to lead the Lakers. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jordan Clarkson had 21 each, and Julius Randle scored 20.

Curry was 1 for 7 on 3-point attempts in regulation.

Los Angeles had a chance to win at the end of regulation when Randle rebounded Durant’s miss with 5.3 seconds to play. The Lakers set up a play for Ingram, but he missed a driving 8-footer.

The Lakers trailed by 10 at the end of the first quarter, but charged back by shooting 71 percent in the second to take a 54-50 lead at halftime.

After scoring five consecutive points in the third quarter, Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball was in a scrape on the floor for a loose ball when his head slammed against the court. It opened up a small cut above his left eye. The Lakers closed it with a Steri-Strip and Ball returned to the game. He finished with 15 points and 10 assists.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Durant, Warriors rally to beat Cavs for 3-0 lead

CLEVELAND—Kevin Durant made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 45 seconds left and the Golden State Warriors took a 3-0 in the NBA Finals by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-113 on Wednesday night.

Durant scored 31 points and Klay Thompson had 30 for the Warriors, who improved to 15-0 in the postseason and are on the brink of the first undefeated finish in the NBA. Stephen Curry had 26 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.

LeBron James had 39 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Cavaliers, and Kyrie Irving added 38 points. Blown out in the first two games, the Cavaliers were much better in Game 3, but just not good enough to beat a team that could go down as one of the best ever.

Game 4 is here Friday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA: Durant, Curry lead Warriors to rout of Cavs, 2-0 series lead

Kevin Durant scored 33 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Stephen Curry added 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists Sunday as the Golden State Warriors ripped Cleveland 132-113 in a historic second game of the NBA Finals.

The Warriors, who welcomed back coach Steve Kerr after he missed 11 games with health issues following back surgery, stretched their playoff win streak to an NBA-record 14 games by dominating the defending champion Cavaliers in the second half.

Golden State moved within two games of becoming the first NBA champion to complete an unbeaten playoff run, seizing a 2-0 edge in the best-of-seven championship series, which shifts to Cleveland for games three and four on Wednesday and Friday.

LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists to match a record with his eighth career NBA Finals triple double. Only former Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson had eight prior finals triple doubles. No one else has more than two.

Together with Curry’s triple double, it was only the second time in playoff history that two rivals had managed triple doubles in the same game, the other coming in 1970 by New York’s Walt Frazier and Milwaukee’s Lew Alcindor, who would later change his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Curry credited his first finals triple double to the tension of the title quest and the effort needed to answer the Cavs’ challenge.

“We’re in the finals. That’s all the motivation we need,” Curry said. “We leave everything on the floor.”

Kevin Love scored 27 points for the Cavaliers while Kyrie Irving added 19 in a losing cause.

Klay Thompson added 22 points for the Warriors, with Curry saying the Warriors still have work to do to play their best.

“I could play much better,” he said. “Some good things going on but we’ve got to get better.

“We’re young. We’re hungry. We’re playing great basketball. We’ve got a great opportunity in front of us and we’ve got to seize it.”

Spectacular passes, slam dunks, deadly shots and high-leaping playmakers dominated the night as the game was played at a fast-paced, high-intensity tempo that had spectators roaring with delight.

Durant became only the third player in NBA history to score 25 points in his first seven NBA Finals appearances, joining Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal.

Curry seized command in the third quarter with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists as the Warriors stretched a 67-64 half-time lead to 102-88 entering the fourth quarter, a margin no finals team had squandered so late to lose since 1992.


From there, Golden State steadily pulled away, the Cavaliers having no answer for the Warriors speed and outside shooting.

“The second half we settled in and just tried to play better and played tougher on defense,” Durant said. “We’re just trying to play good basketball every time down the floor.”

The game turned when Curry sank a 3-pointer and two free throws, then dribbled impressively around James for a layup to cap a 10-3 run that put the Warriors ahead 83-73 early in the third.

Cleveland battled back but a steal set up a Durant fast break layup and 3-point play and Shaun Livingston followed with an uncontested dunk to ignite a 16-6 run to close the quarter.

The Cavaliers went scoreless for more than 3:30 late in the third despite Draymond Green going to the Warrior bench with a fifth personal foul.

Durant and Curry each scored 15 first-half points, but Golden State had 13 turnovers at the break after just four in the series opener.

James scored 18 points in the first half with 10 assists, his most assists in any playoff half in his career.

Tristan Thompson played fewer minutes for the Cavs, with Iman Shumpert seeing more time to help ease the defensive load on James guarding Durant.

Curry went 10-for-10 at the free throw line and scored 15 points as Golden State took a 40-34 lead in the highest-scoring NBA Finals first quarter in 50 years and the second-highest ever.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Cavs the champs but Warriors the favorites in NBA Finals

Some predictions see the NBA Finals ending quickly. A video game simulation has them going the distance.

All seem to agree on the Golden State Warriors winning.

Beaten last year by Cleveland’s historic comeback, the Warriors will try to avenge that defeat and get back on top when they face the Cavaliers again, the first time two teams have met three straight times in the NBA Finals.

Game 1 is Thursday at Oracle Arena, where the Cavaliers won their first championship last year by becoming the first team to rally from a 3-1 deficit in the finals. The Warriors are back with a more formidable team after adding Kevin Durant, a healthier one after Stephen Curry was injured last postseason, and not even LeBron James and the Cavs are given much chance of stopping them.

“I think they’re the prohibitive favorite,” ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy said. “I think when you’re the prohibitive favorite against LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, that means you’re a heck of a team, and they sure are.”

The Warriors are 12-0 in the playoffs and have won 27 of their last 28 overall. Cleveland will have to slow down a team that has been beating teams by 16.3 points per game in the postseason.

A lackluster postseason could be salvaged by a close, compelling series, which was the result of an NBA 2K17 simulation that ended with Durant leading the Warriors to a Game 7 rout.

The Warriors are a powerhouse, but the Cavs are 12-1 in the playoffs and give themselves a shot no matter who else does.

“Since I’ve been in this league, it’s hard to get to the playoffs, let alone march all the way to the finals,” guard Iman Shumpert said. “But I think we got a great group, headlined by one of the best guys to ever do it. That gives us a chance in any game.”

Some things to watch in the series:

A LOT OF LOVE? Cleveland almost certainly needs the Kevin Love of the last round to have a chance at the upset. He averaged a quiet 13.8 points in the first two rounds, then busted out for 22.6 points and 12.4 rebounds per game against Boston in the Eastern Conference finals. Golden State will try to keep him in check with Draymond Green, one of the league’s best and most versatile defenders.

“When he’s going, he makes their team a lot better,” Green said, “so it is my job to try to take him out of the game.”

WHAT HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE? The Cavaliers’ nine-game postseason road winning streak, three shy of the 2001-02 Lakers’ league record, started with victories last year in Games 5 and 7 in Oakland. The Warriors won at least once in Cleveland in each of the last two NBA Finals, part of their franchise-record streak of 14 straight series with a road victory.

STRAIGHT SHOOTERS? All-Star Klay Thompson is shooting 38 percent from the field in the postseason and 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala is just 3 for 27 from 3-point range. The Warriors’ best lineup against the Cavaliers probably has both players on the floor at the same time, with Iguodala on James and Thompson defending Irving, so Thompson said he doesn’t get caught up in whether his shot is falling.

“What happened in the past in my mind doesn’t really count now unless we go out and finish the deal,” he said. “So as long as I perform at this stage now and play my hardest, that’s all I can ask for. It’s been working up to this point, so I can’t change what I’m doing.”

NO WORRY FROM CURRY: After a knee injury in the playoffs and a quick turnaround following the conference finals, Curry wasn’t in top shape last June. He’s in better health now, even while wearing a sleeve over his elbow to protect some swelling.

“Obviously not really dealing with any bumps or bruises really besides this elbow that’s not really a factor,” Curry said. “So other than that, feeling fresh.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Thompson scores 21 in 1st, Warriors roll past Magic

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA—A tighter defense that gave Orlando trouble all night and another early scoring outburst from Klay Thompson have the Warriors feeling a lot better about their position in the West.

A much-welcomed blowout of the Magic certainly helped, too, especially following three weeks of inconsistencies and a handful of surprising losses.

Thompson scored 21 of his 29 points in the first quarter and the Golden State cruised past the Orlando Magic 122-92 on Thursday night.

“To have a game like that always helps, not confidence-wise but just to kind of try and get back in a rhythm,” said Green, who had nine points and 11 rebounds. “I don’t think this game really just puts us back in a rhythm, but it was a carryover from the last game’s fourth quarter. It was just using that momentum and letting it carry over.”

Stephen Curry added 25 points and nine assists after appearing to injure his right foot in the opening minutes, Andre Iguodala scored 14 and Zaza Pachulia had 10 points and 10 rebounds to help the Warriors improve to an NBA-best 54-14 and clinch their third straight Pacific Division title for the first time in franchise history.

Thompson, who owns the NBA record for most points in one quarter with 37 against Sacramento on Jan. 23, 2015, was almost perfect in the opening period against Orlando. The three-time All-Star made his first five shots beyond the arc and shot 8 of 11 overall while helping the Warriors to an early double-digit lead.

By comparison, the entire Magic team made only nine buckets in the first quarter.

“We were able to get out in transition just from our stops,” Thompson said. “It definitely helps when you make four or five in a row. You feel like every shot’s going to go in.”

It’s the seventh time in his career that Thompson has scored 20 or more in a single quarter and the third time this season. The other two came when Thompson had 23 points in the second and 20 in the third on his way to an NBA season-high 60 points against Indiana on Dec. 5.

“The defense really was kind of setting up some of those shots, too, in transition,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “When you can make stops it solves a lot of problems. We’ve struggled to score the last couple of weeks. Tonight, we broke through.”

Thompson’s fast start began not long after Curry limped off the court and into the Warriors’ locker room early in the first quarter after he stepped on the foot of Elfrid Payton.

The reigning two-time MVP returned a short time later and was greeted by a rousing ovation from the Oracle crowd. Curry then promptly threw an inbounds pass to Thompson for an easy bucket that put the Warriors up by double digits.

“Tweaked his ankle,” Kerr said. “He’s fine.”

Payton and Jeff Green scored 13 points apiece for Orlando.

“When Klay got hot, it was a bit deflating,” Magic center Nikola Vucevic said. “Once they get a lead like that, they’re too good. We were never able to make it a game again.”

Golden State’s win was its second straight following a season-high three-game skid and evened its record at 4-4 since losing Kevin Durant to a knee injury in late-February.

Unlike the other three wins – all decided by eight points or fewer -Kerr’s team had little problem beating Orlando and sending the Magic to their fourth straight loss.

The Warriors led by 36 in the second half, allowing Kerr to sit most of his starters in the fourth quarter, and finished with their most lopsided win since beating Chicago by 31 on Feb. 8.

It’s not a common occurrence in the NBA, but Orlando was called for a technical foul for having six men on the court in the second quarter. Magic coach Frank Vogel blamed a lack of communication. “We didn’t communicate a sub,” Vogel said.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Durant gets first triple-double with Warriors, win over Mavs

OAKLAND, California—Kevin Durant notched his first triple-double for Golden State with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and first in more than a year, leading the Warriors past the Dallas Mavericks 108-99 on Friday night.

Durant’s eighth career triple-double was his first since Dec. 10, 2015, against Atlanta. Klay Thompson scored 17 of his 29 points in the third quarter and finished with five 3-pointers and Stephen Curry added 14 points.

Harrison Barnes, who spent the past four seasons in a key role with Golden State, scored 25 points for Dallas against his old team.

In the first quarter, Curry (11,903) passed Purvis Short (11,894) for seventh place on the Warriors’ all-time scoring list.

Draymond Green had 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in Golden State’s ninth straight home win against the Mavericks, the Warriors’ streak longest ever.

There was some Curry vs. Curry in this one, with Stephen guarding brother Seth and vice versa for short stints.

Thompson has 78 3-pointers against the Mavs, his most against any opponent. The Warriors began 3 for 10 from long range but wound up 11 for 33.

Dirk Nowitzki, who had been questionable coming in with an illness, scored 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting in 23-plus minutes for Dallas.

Warriors reigning NBA Coach of the Year Steve Kerr, for one, is ready for 2017 given his health issues following complications from two back surgeries last year that still affect him.

But he doesn’t need to change his routine. Nor his star-studded roster.

“I’m not a resolution guy,” he said. “I go to the gym every day, I don’t just go to the gym the first 10 days of January.”

Two pairs of Stephen Curry’s special shoes were auctioned off to raise $45,201 to aid the Oakland Fire Relief fund following the deadly Dec. 2 Ghost Ship warehouse fire in nearby Oakland. The “Oakland Strong” shoes worn in a game by the MVP were taken for $30,101 by an anonymous bidder, while his pregame “Ghost Ship” grafitti-style pair went for $15,100 also to an anonymous bidder.

“I’m always very proud of Steph and all of our guys. They put some money together as a group, the team did, to donate to the fund,” Kerr said.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Warriors bounce back to rout Suns

Stephen Curry finished with 31 points as the Golden State Warriors extended their league record streak of games without consecutive defeats with a dominating 138-109 win over the Phoenix Suns.

The Warriors have now gone 106 games without back-to-back losses as they rebounded Saturday from a 132-127 double overtime defeat two night earlier to the Houston Rockets.

The Warriors shot a season-high 62.8 percent from the field against the Suns, just shy of their franchise record of 63.6 percent.

“It’s an incredible mark of consistency,” head coach Steve Kerr said of the Warriors’ streak.

They also shot 66.7 from three point range, going 14 of 21 as Klay Thompson made six of seven from long range and Curry was five of seven in front of a crowd of 19,500 at Oracle Arena.

Thompson finished with 26 points and Draymond Green had a season-high 13 assists, nine points and five rebounds for the Warriors, who improved to 17-3.

Kevin Durant added 20 points and eight assists. David West had a season-high 10 points off the bench, going five of five from the field.

Eric Bledsoe led the Suns with 27 points and Devin Booker had 21. Brandon Knight scored 14 points off the bench. Phoenix made 11 of 32 three-point shots.

The Warriors built a nine-point halftime lead and then dominated the Suns 42-27 in the third quarter to take a 108-84 advantage into the fourth. They set a season high for third-quarter points and scored the second-most points in any quarter this season.

Curry had 20 points in the third quarter, going six of nine from the field and three of four from long range.

He nailed a three-point shot to put the Warriors ahead 91-67 with 4:43 left in the third. Curry drained another from long range with 2:30 remaining, giving the Warriors a 30-point lead at 101-71.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, Andrew Wiggins had 29 points while Karl-Anthony Towns collected 27 points and 15 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves ended a four-game losing streak with a 125-120 overtime victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

“We’ve been fighting the last four, five games, and we finally got over that hump,” Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine said. “It feels good.”

The Timberwolves used a fourth-quarter rally that began with a 10-0 run and a dominant overtime session to seal the victory.

Minnesota got 17 points from LaVine and 12 each from Shabazz Muhammad and Nemanja Bjelica.

Charlotte was led by Kemba Walker with 22 points. Frank Kaminsky tallied 21 points, while Nicolas Batum had 15 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds.

Wire-to-wire win

In Dallas, Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews combined for 48 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to just its fourth win of the season, a 107-82 wire-to-wire victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Matthews poured in a team-high and season-high-tying 26 points and buried a season-high seven of his 11 three-point attempts to give him 19 threes in his past four games. Barnes finished with 22 points.

The Bulls were coming off an impressive home win Friday against the defending league champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

Veteran Chicago guard Dwyane Wade was given the night off during this stretch of four games in five nights.

Jimmy Butler topped the Bulls with 26 points and nine rebounds.

source: sports.inquirer.net

WATCH: Frustrated Curry hits fan with mouthguard, gets ejected

It wasn’t the best of days for Stephen Curry.

The usually mild-mannered Curry blew his top after being called for a foul against LeBron James with 4:22 left to play and his Golden State Warriors trailing the Cleveland Cavaliers, 87-99, in game 6 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena.

Out of frustration, the league’s only unanimous MVP screamed at the referee and hurled his mouthguard towards the crowd, hitting a fan at courtside, to earn him a technical foul and an ejection.

Teammates Klay Thompson and Shaun Livingston rushed to pacify Curry, who immediately apologized to the fan.

“I’ve thrown my mouthpiece before. I usually aim at the scorer’s table, I was off aim. Definitely didn’t mean to throw it at a fan. It’s obviously not where I want to take my frustration out,” Curry said in the post-game press conference.

It was the first ejection of Curry’s c career the first time he has fouled out since December 2013.

“The last two fouls I had, I didn’t think I fouled either Kyrie [Irving] or LeBron [James], that’s just kind of my perception of the plays and I had a reaction to it.”

Curry finished 30 points for Golden State, which missed a chance to wrap up the finals series anew at Cleveland’s home floor with the 115-101 loss.

The series ends at Golden State on Monday (Manila) time for the winner-take-all game 7.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA: Warriors rival Jordan’s Bulls for greatest season

OAKLAND, United States — One victory shy of defending their NBA title, the Golden State Warriors might just be on the verge of completing the greatest season in the league’s 70-year history.

A triumph over Cleveland in Monday’s fifth game of the best-of-seven NBA Finals would give Golden State a repeat crown to cap a campaign that had the best start in league history, 24-0, and saw the Warriors win a record 73 regular-season games, one more than the old mark of the Michael Jordan-led 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

“I never in a million years would have guessed that record would be broken,” said Steve Kerr, the Golden State coach who won his first NBA title as a guard on that Bulls squad. “I’ll say the same thing I said 20 years ago. I don’t think this one will ever be broken.”

A 108-97 victory Friday in Cleveland gave the Warriors a 3-1 lead in the finals and their 88th combined season and playoff win, one more than the Bulls’ old record total from two decades ago.

But Chicago was 15-3 in the playoffs to stand 87-13 overall while Golden State is 15-6 in the playoffs and only 88-15. And the Bulls had to win only three games in round one, not four as Golden State did this year.

The Warriors’ 28 regular-season win streak in a row dating to the end of the prior season became the second-longest in NBA history. They won 54 home games in a row over two seasons, 10 more than the old mark of the ’95-96 Bulls, and Golden State’s record 34 road wins were one more than those Bulls managed.

Jordan congratulated the Warriors in April on an “amazing season” but added, “I look forward to seeing what they do in the playoffs.”

‘It’s all subjective’

Golden State’s Draymond Green takes the best-ever debate in stride, saying “they are going to talk and we really don’t care.”

“We’ve got (to win the title) before you can even consider saying that,” Green said. “It’s all subjective. To say we’re better than the ‘Showtime’ Lakers, how can you say that? We never played them.”

That’s when teammate Klay Thompson interjected: “We are better than the ‘Showtime’ Lakers.” But that could have been a nod to his father Mychal, who won two titles with that Lakers lineup.

“Like saying we’re better than the Bulls — we’ll never play them. Two completely different eras,” Green added. “So I don’t really get off on the ‘best team of all times.’ I’m trying to win rings. That’s my only goal.”

Lakers Hall of Fame guard Magic Johnson defended his “Showtime” squad, saying the unit with NBA all-time scoring leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy could beat this year’s Warriors.

“We’ve never seen two guys who can shoot like Steph and Klay (Thompson), but they never ran up against somebody like us,” Johnson told ESPN.

Each boasts Aussie big man

The 1995-96 Jordan, in his first full season after an ill-fated try at baseball, led the NBA with 30.4 points a game and added 6.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists, then raised his average to 30.7 points in the playoff run and captured NBA Finals and season Most Valuable Player awards.

But Curry led the NBA this year with 30.1 points a game, also averaged 5.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists, led the NBA in steals with 169, free throw accuracy at 90.8 percent, hit a one-season NBA record 402 3-pointers and won season MVP honors for the second year in a row. After a 38-point effort in game four, the finals MVP could come his way as well.

“He doesn’t have the size and the strength to dominate a game physically, so he has to dominate with his skill,” Kerr said. “But he has a lot of faith in himself and he trusts his shot.”

The Bulls had Scottie Pippen (19.4 points a game) to match Thompson (22.1) and Dennis Rodman with an NBA-best 14.9 rebounds a game to Green’s team-best 9.5.

Each team had an Australian center, with the Bulls’ Luc Longley averaging 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.35 blocked shots and the Warriors’ Andrew Bogut at 5.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.

The Bulls had Croatian forward Toni Kukoc and guards Ron Harper and Kerr but the Warriors counter with Harrison Barnes and 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala off the bench.

And both Kerr and Chicago’s Phil Jackson were voted NBA Coach of the Year.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA Finals: Curry has 38, Warriors take 3-1 lead over Cavaliers

CLEVELAND — Stephen Curry found his long-range touch and scored 38 points, Klay Thompson added 25 and the Golden State Warriors moved within one win of defending their title by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-97 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.

Curry had scored just 48 total points in the first three games, but the two-time league MVP made seven 3-pointers and Thompson, his Splash Brother, drained four 3s as the Warriors took a 3-1 lead in the series.

Golden State, which made history with a 73-win regular season, can become the seventh franchise to win consecutive titles with a victory in Game 5 on Monday night at rip-roaring Oracle Arena, where they won the first two games by a combined 48 points.

After blowing out the Warriors by 30 in Game 3, the Cavaliers had a chance to even the series. However, LeBron James and Co. didn’t enough to contain Curry, Thompson or Harrison Barnes, who made four 3s and added 14 points.

Kyrie Irving scored 34 points for the Cavs, who will need much more in Game 5 or they’ll finish as runner-up to the Warriors for the second year in a row.

James added 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, but the superstar also had seven turnovers and was too passive at times. Kevin Love returned to the lineup after missing Game 3 with a concussion and added 11 points off the bench.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Warriors must learn quickly from humbling defeat

Delivered their worst playoff loss in two years, the defending champion Golden State Warriors must rebound quickly to prevent the Cleveland Cavaliers from pulling level in the NBA Finals.

The Cavaliers ripped Golden State 120-90 Wednesday, trimming their deficit in the best-of-seven series to 2-1 entering game four Friday at Cleveland with game five Monday at Oakland, California.

“We’ve been able to bounce back pretty quick because we can turn the page and understand we’re still in good position,” said Warriors guard Stephen Curry, the NBA Most Valuable Player.

“How we bounce back Friday will show our heart and soul about winning. This is hard. We’ve got to embrace the challenge.”

Curry, the league’s top scorer during a record 73-win Warriors season, and Klay Thompson, a 3-point sharpshooter like Curry, have been contained by Cleveland’s defenders, combining to hit 10-of-26 shots from the floor in game three, only 4-of-16 from 3-point range.

Curry, who hit an NBA record 402 3-pointers this season, scored 19 points, but most came long after the outcome was in little doubt, while Thompson managed only 10.

“It’s a tough grind to win a championship,” Curry said. “We hope the better team will show throughout the course of the series.”

Harrison Barnes, who scored 18 points, says the way to spark Curry’s scoring touch is to create shots for him and ease the workload he has had to set up his own.

“Get the ball moving. It’s a lot of 1-on-1 that we’re making him do to get shots,” Barnes said. “He can do that but we’ve got to get easy ways to get him going.”

A victory could have cut short the series, as no NBA team has rallied from a 3-0 hole to win a playoff series. But for the fifth series in a row, the Warriors lost game three and this was by the most lopsided margin since a 138-98 road defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014, before Steve Kerr took over as Golden State’s coach.

“We’re all to blame,” Thompson said. “They were hungrier than us. There’s no excuse. We’ve got to learn from it.”

“We’re going to come out much better Friday. Golden opportunity still to go home up 3-1 so no time to sulk.”

“If we play with great energy and effort, we won’t see another 30-point loss,” he said.

Thompson will miss Thursday practice after suffering a thigh bruise when struck by the knee of Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov.

“It seemed kind of dirty to me. He stuck his knee out,” Thompson said of the Russian’s defensive move that led to the injury.

“I’m going to take the day off and get healthy. But it’s the finals. Nothing is going to keep me out of it.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Klay Thompson’s dad ate burgers, watched WWE Raw during Game 7

There are things in life that dads pull off perfectly, like dropping puntastic jokes and walking around the house with a majestic beer gut.

Klay Thompson’s dad Mychal, though, may have done a move so epically dad-like it deserves a plaque, or maybe a burger.

When the Golden State Warriors completed their comeback against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, Mychal wasn’t at Oracle Arena and he wasn’t even watching the game.

Golden State was down 3-1 in the series and had its 73-win season in jeopardy before winning the next three games to set up another championship series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mychal talked with ESPN Radio’s Thompson & Trudel, as per CBS Sports.com, and the former no. 1 overall pick said he did not watch the game that gave his son another trip to the NBA Finals and instead bought some burgers and watched some wrestling.

“I went to In-N-Out to grab a burger and I couldn’t eat it, so I had to let it sit there for three hours,” said Thompson. “I was too nervous.”

He couldn’t concentrate on watching oversized men in baggy shorts chase a ball around, so he changed the channel to watch WWE Raw to watch oversized men in tights hit and slam each other to the mat.

Mychal said he recorded the game and put his phone face down to avoid seeing texts or notifications about Klay’s game.

“I was watching wrestling, knowing that the game was going on,” said Thompson. “So that was to take my mind off of the game a little bit.”

A few moments after the buzzer sounded, Mychal’s wife Jus called him, just before he could open the NBA app to let him know their son Klay just won.

“As soon as I answered, I went, ‘Hello,’ and she says, ‘Well, are you happy?'” Thompson said. “And when she said that, I went, ‘Oh, thank God.’ And then she said, ‘Mychal, there’s something seriously wrong with you.'”

Klay may be one of the best shooters of the game right now, but he’s still vulnerable to his dad’s shenanigans.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Warriors dominate Blazers, Heat crush Hornets to advance

LOS ANGELES—Klay Thompson scored 37 points and Draymond Green posted his first post-season triple-double as the Golden State Warriors opened the second round of the NBA playoffs on Sunday with a convincing 118-106 victory over Portland.

The absence of injured superstar Stephen Curry made no difference for the reigning champion Warriors, who connected on 47.3 percent of their shots against a Trail Blazers team that had wrapped up their first-round series against the injury depleted Los Angeles Clippers less than 48 hours earlier.

Thompson drained a three-pointer 17 seconds into the contest and the Warriors rolled from there in front of their home fans in Oakland, California.

Thompson scored 18 of his 37 points in the first quarter — when Portland scored just 17 points total.

The Warriors led 37-17 after the first frame, and the Trail Blazers never got the gap under nine points from there.

Australian big man Andrew Bogut delivered a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, as did Harrison Barnes. Shaun Livingston, starting in place of Curry, chipped in 12 points and six assists.

“The way we got it done on the defensive end, we made it tough on them,” said Green, who scored 23 points with 13 rebounds and 11 assists in 38 minutes.

“Listen, we know they’re not going to have games like this every night,” he added of a Blazers team whose five starters made just 23 of 75 attempts. “But if we can make them take tough shots … we think they’ll wear down throughout the course of the series.”



Heat sting Hornets



While the Warriors were opening the second round with a rout, the Miami Heat were closing out the first round with a 106-73 drubbing of the Charlotte Hornets.

The Heat, who had trailed 3-2 in the series, rode an outstanding performance from Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic, who scored a game-high 25 points.

“I just had more room to operate. My teammates trust me even when I miss a shot and they keep supporting me,” Dragic said.

Luol Deng tallied 15 points, Dwyane Wade finished with 12 and Hassan Whiteside had 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks for the Heat, who never trailed.

“I’m not a prophet, but I knew we were winning this game,” Wade said.

“This team has had opportunities all season to cave and every time when we have been in that situation we have somehow prevailed.”

Hornets guard Kemba Walker scored just nine points on three-of-16 shooting and had three turnovers.

But Hornets coach Steve Clifford said the Heat’s 58-36 rebounding advantage was the real key.

“We had a bad start because of the rebounding game,” Clifford said. “At halftime, I thought we were fine. But in the third quarter, things got away from us.”

The Heat next face the winner of Sunday’s game seven between the Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers.

source: sports.inquirer.net