Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (No 4) tries to get hold of a loose ball in front of Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston (No 34) and guard Stephen Curry (No 30) during the second half of the game. PICTURE: -USA TODAY
DPA/Los Angeles
The Golden State Warriors’ pursuit for perfection is alive ... but barely.
Reigning league MVP Stephen Curry hit two free throws with 13.4 seconds left in double overtime Friday to cap a 38-point, 11-rebound, eight-assist effort as the short-handed Warriors extended their record start to 24-0 with a 124-119 road victory over the stubborn Boston Celtics.
“Nothing was pretty about this game,” Curry said. “It was just who wanted it more. We got stops and everybody contributed tonight.
“Considering all the injuries we have and this being the tail end of the road trip, it’s a huge win for us.”
Playing without starters Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes, who are out with sore ankles, the defending NBA champions have now won 28 consecutive games dating back to last season, snapping a tie with the 2012-13 Miami Heat for the second-longest streak in league history.
They trail the all-time mark of 33 by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.
Draymond Green had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Andre Iguodala netted 13 while Shaun Livingston and Festus Ezeli added 12 apiece for the Warriors, who ran their league record road mark to 14-0.
“We were short-handed, but we fought,” said Green, who added eight steals and five blocks. “Everybody stepped up to the challenge tonight.”
Playing the sixth of a gruelling seven-game road trip that ends Saturday at Milwaukee, the Warriors survived their toughest challenge of the season against the upset-minded Celtics.
“Starting off 24-0, everybody wants to be that team that knocks you off and gives it their best shot,” Green said. “But we give our best shot as well.”
The Warriors led 116-113 with 1:50 left in the second overtime after Iguodala hit back-to-back layups and Livingston added another off a Green steal.
Livingston hit two free throws for a 120-117 advantage with 17.8 ticks after the Celtics drew to within one.
After a Jae Crowder layup again pulled Boston within a point, Curry coolly sank both foul shots for a 122-119 edge. Iguodala added two more from the stripe after Crowder missed a corner triple and the Warriors remained golden.
“We have lot of talented people on our team even when we have injuries,” Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton said. “The fact these guys found a way to win in double overtime and shorthanded is unbelievable.”
Kelly Olynyk netted 28 points off the bench, Avery Bradley had 19 and Isaiah Thomas finished with 18 and 10 assists for Boston (13-10), which had won its previous four home games.
“It’s the toughest loss we’ve had all season,” Crowder said. “It’s frustrating because we felt we could win the game. We were a couple of stops away, but we didn’t do it.”
Elsewhere:
•Cleveland Cavaliers 111, Orlando Magic 76: LeBron James had 25 points, and Iman Shumpert added 14 in his season-debut after injuring a wrist in training camp as the visiting Cavs (15-7) handed the Magic (12-11) its worst loss of the season.
•Toronto Raptors 90, Milwaukee Bucks 83: DeMar DeRozan had 27 points, and Kyle Lowry hit the game-sealing layup with 24 seconds left as the Raptors (15-9) held off the visiting Bucks ((9-15) after nearly blowing a 19-point third-quarter cushion.
•Detroit Pistons 107, Philadelphia 76ers 95: Marcus Morris scored 21, Andre Drummond had 18 with 16 rebounds, and the visiting Pistons (13-11) dropped the league-worst Sixers to 1-23.
•Indiana Pacers 96, Miami Heat 83: Monta Ellis had 24 points, and Paul George added 23 as the Pacers (13-8) stopped a three-game slide while sending the visiting Heat (12-9) to a third-straight loss.
•Charlotte Hornets 123, Memphis Grizzlies 99: Kemba Walker tossed in 33 points, Frenchman Nicolas Batum added 20 and the visiting Hornets (14-8) knocked down 18-of-37 triples to rout the Grizzlies (13-11) for their season-high fourth-straight win.
•Oklahoma City Thunder 94, Utah Jazz 90: Russell Westbrook scored 24 points, including the tie-breaking triple with 66 seconds left, while Kevin Durant added 21 as the visiting Thunder (15-8) slipped past the Jazz (10-11) for its season-high tying fourth-straight win.
•New Orleans Pelicans 107, Washington Wizards 105: Tyreke Evans hit five triples en route to 27 points as the Pelicans (6-16) edged the visiting Wizards (9-12), led by John Wall’s 26.
•Denver Nuggets 111, Minnesota Timberwolves 108: Italy’s Danilo Gallinari scored nine of his 23 points in overtime, including the tie-breaking triple with 1:25 left, and the Nuggets (9-14) rallied from 19 down to beat the T-Wolves (9-13) despite a 28-point, 14-rebound effort by rookie Karl-Anthony Towns.
• San Antonio Spurs 109, Los Angeles Lakers 87: LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points, Kawhi Leonard added 16, and the Spurs (19-5) dumped the Lakers in Kobe Bryant’s final game in San Antonio after announcing his retirement at the end of this season. Rookie D’Angelo Russell had a career-high 24 points for the West-worst Lakers (3-20) while Bryant finished with 12.
•Portland Trail Blazers 106, Phoenix 96: CJ McCollum buried five triples en route to 26 points as the Blazers (10-14) outscored the Suns (10-14) 30-14 in the fourth-quarter despite Eric Bledsoe’s game-high 31.
