Warriors whip Wizards, extend winning streak

Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson (right) gets past Miami Heat shooting guard Ray Allen during their NBA match. Picture: USA TODAY Sports

DPA/Los Angeles

It took a half before the Golden State Warriors got going and continued their longest run in nearly 40 years. Klay Thompson scored 26 points, David Lee added 12 of his 21 in a game-breaking 30-5 third-quarter blitz, and the Warriors extended their winning streak to a season-high nine Sunday with a 112-96 victory over the Washington Wizards.

“In the third quarter we turned it up, we played the kind of basketball we’re capable of playing,” said Lee, who also grabbed 11 rebounds. “We’re playing the right kind of ball now. We’ve been looking for that consistency since the start of the season, now we just have to keep it going.”

The Warriors’ current success is the longest in team history since a 10-game winning streak during the 1975-76 campaign and sent them into a tie with the idle LA Clippers (23-13) atop the Pacific Division.

“We’re proud of where we are but there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. “It’s important for us to play good solid basketball.” 

Australian-native Andrew Bogut contributed 15 points with 11 rebounds while Stephen Curry finished with 14 points and 10 assists as the Warriors improved to 5-0 on their season-long seven-game road trip. “This was a very winnable game on the road for what feels like an eternity,” Bogut said. “We had every excuse in the book to do so but we fought through it and got a win.”

Deadlocked at 58-apiece at intermission, Golden State started the second-half on a 13-0 tear as part of a 30-5 onslaught and opened up an 88-63 cushion with 2 minutes 56 minutes left in the period.  The Warriors carried a 92-73 cushion into the final frame and coasted home.

“We knew we were going to make a run,” Thompson said. “It was about making stops on the defensive end. We knew our defence would lead to offence.”

John Wall had 14 points with 10 assists, while Brazil’s Nene also scored 14 for Washington, which dropped its third in a row.  “They played two halves and we played one,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said.

Miami Heat 102, Toronto Raptors 97

LeBron James netted 30 points, including four free throws in the final 16 seconds, and the Heat snapped the visiting Raptors’ season-high five-game winning streak. DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 26 points while Kyle Lowry added 14 but missed a potential game-tying triple in the final seconds.

Thunder 119, Boston Celtics 96

Reggie Jackson erupted for a career-high 27 points, Kevin Durant added 21, and the Western Conference-leading Thunder sent the visiting Celtics to their seventh loss in the last eight games.

Jeff Green and Avery Bradley had 19 points apiece for Boston, which has agreed to send Courtney Lee to Memphis in exchange for Jerryd Bayless pending league approval, according to ESPN.

Memphis Grizzlies 112, Detroit Pistons 84

Jon Leuer netted a career-high-tying 23 points, Zach Randolph added 16 with as many rebounds, and the Grizzlies overwhelmed the Pistons 61-28 in the second half. Greg Monroe scored 19 points for Detroit, losers of four in a row.

Pacers 82, Cavaliers 78

Paul George scored 16 points, Roy Hibbert added 15, and the league-best Pacers (27-6) won for the seventh time in the last eight games after edging the host Cavaliers, who received a game-high 21 from CJ Miles.

New York Knicks 92, Dallas Mavericks 80

Carmelo Anthony scored 19 points, Kenyon Martin had 14 off the bench, and the Knicks handed the Mavericks their third straight loss. German star Dirk Nowitzki topped Dallas with 18 points and nine boards.

Denver Nuggets 137, LA Lakers 115

Nate Robinson dropped in 21 points off the bench, Ty Lawson had 20 with 12 assists, and the visiting Nuggets dominated the Lakers 77-54 in second half, for their second win following a season-high eight-game slide. Russian backup centre Timofey Mozgov added 20 points for Denver, while Kenneth Faried had 17 with 13 rebounds. Spanish star Pau Gasol collected 25 points and 10 rebounds in the Lakers’ seventh loss in the last eight games.