Stephen Curry ignited his own third-quarter explosion with a 50-footer at the halftime horn, then capped a 56-point performance with his 11th and 12th 3-pointers to protect a late lead that resulted in the Golden State Warriors’ 121-115 victory over the host Orlando Magic on Thursday night.
Curry’s 56 points were the fourth most of his career and his 12 3-pointers equaled his second most, helping the Warriors win their fifth in a row and their seventh in eight games since acquiring Jimmy Butler in a trade. Curry shot 16-for-25 overall, 12-for-19 on 3s and 12-for-12 at the free throw line.
Quinten Post finished with 18 points off the bench, Draymond Green scored 12 to complete a double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds, and Moses Moody had 10 points for Golden State, which completed a season-series sweep of the Magic.
Led by Paolo Banchero’s 41 points, the Magic got within 108-104 with 2:56 remaining and to 111-109 with 1:55 left. But Curry countered both times with 3-pointers, allowing Golden State to retain a lead the rest of the way.
Lakers 111, Timberwolves 102
LeBron James scored 33 points and hauled in 17 rebounds and Luka Doncic added 21 points and 13 rebounds as Los Angeles increased its winning streak to four games with a victory over visiting Minnesota.
Austin Reaves scored 23 points and Jaxson Hayes added 10 as the Lakers improved to 14-3 since Jan. 21. Rui Hachimura had five points in 18 minutes for Los Angeles before he departed for good early in the third quarter with a left knee strain. The victory came despite Doncic going 1 of 9 from 3-point range and Gabe Vincent missing all five of his shots from long range.
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a career-high 25 points and Anthony Edwards added 18 for the Timberwolves, who lost for the third time in their last four games. Edwards was ejected with 5:21 remaining in the third quarter after he received his second technical foul of the game. Jaden McDaniels scored 15 points and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 14 for Minnesota.
Pelicans 124, Suns 116
Zion Williamson scored 27 points, matched his career high of 11 assists and collected 10 rebounds for his first career triple-double while leading New Orleans to a win in Phoenix.
Williamson made 13 of 17 field-goal attempts as New Orleans won its third straight game and fourth in its past five outings. CJ McCollum scored 19 points, Trey Murphy III added 18 points and Karlo Matkovic had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans.
Devin Booker recorded 36 points, nine assists and seven rebounds but couldn’t prevent the underachieving Suns from losing for the 10th time in their past 12 games. Kevin Durant scored 28 points, Tyus Jones had 15 points and matched his season best of 12 assists, Bol Bol tallied 15 points.
Mavericks 103, Hornets 96
Kyrie Irving poured in 25 points while powering Dallas past visiting Charlotte.
Irving, who tallied 19 points in the second half, tied his season best with nine rebounds. Moses Brown tacked on season bests of 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Klay Thompson logged 18 points as the Mavericks ended a two-game skid.
Mark Williams (26 points, 16 rebounds) and Miles Bridges (20 points, 12 rebounds) both picked up double-doubles for the Hornets, who absorbed their fifth loss in a row.
Bucks 121, Nuggets 112
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and dished seven assists to lead Milwaukee over visiting Denver.
Brook Lopez added 22 points for Milwaukee, which earned its fifth win in six games. Damian Lillard poured in 19 points, and Kyle Kuzma produced 16 points and nine rebounds.
Nikola Jokic compiled 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for the Nuggets, who have lost two of the past three since winning nine straight. Jamal Murray added 20 points while Christian Braun (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Michael Porter Jr. (12 points, 10 boards) each had a double-double.
–Field Level Media
