Spurs get 32nd straight at home by snapping Cavs’ run

The surging San Antonio kept a pair of streaks alive and ended another. Frenchman Tony Parker poured in 24 points and the Spurs won their 32nd consecutive home game, including 23 this season, while snapping the Cleveland Cavaliers’ eight-game success run on Thursday with a rousing 99-95 come-from behind victory.  
“It was a great challenge for us,” Parker said after the Spurs’ 10th straight win overall. “It was tough but a great win for us.”
Kawhi Leonard had 16 of his 20 points in the second half along with 10 rebounds for the Spurs (35-6), who matched their best start in franchise history. “It shows us we’re going in the right direction,” Leonard said of their gaudy record. “We’re trying to build off our record not look at our wins.”  
San Antonio’s streaks appeared to be in jeopardy after falling behind by 15 early to the Eastern Conference leaders in a possible NBA Finals preview. But the silver and black kept their composure and chipped away before taking control against the last team to beat them at home, back in March.
“We had a hard time getting it going in the first half,” Parker said.  “They were playing with more energy and more physical than us. Our energy was better and we tried to get into people and go after it.”  
Trailing by three in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter, the Spurs went on a decisive 13-0 run capped by a Leonard layup to go ahead for good 85-75 with seven minutes remaining.
The Cas drew to within four with 17 seconds left and got a break when Parker missed both free throws.
But teammate LaMarcus Aldridge grabbed the offensive rebound and hit both of his foul shots, as San Antonio became the first team since the 2008-09 Cavaliers to open a season with 23 straight home wins.
Only four teams have had a better home start, including the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who set a record by winning their first 37 home games of the year. LeBron James scored 22 points, Tristan Thompson had 18 with 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers (27-10), who fell to 4-1 on their six-game road trip.
“They did a good job of taking us out of our sets,” James said. “But we also had some really good looks that didn’t go down for us.”

Elsewhere
Golden State Warriors 116, LA Lakers 98
Stephen Curry hit eight triples en route to 26 points and the league-best Warriors (37-3) extended their regular season home win streak to 37 - 19-0 this season - after beating the Lakers in retiring Kobe Bryant’s final game in Oakland.
Bryant, who finished with eight points in 4-of-15 shooting, was given a pre-game video tribute. He received a standing ovation from the appreciative sellout crowd at the Oracle Arena upon exiting with three minutes left to play. Jordan Clarkson topped the Lakers (9-32) with 22 points.

Chicago Bulls 115, Philadelphia 76ers 111 (OT)
Jimmy Butler poured in a career-high 53 points, and the Bulls, minus starters Pau Gasol (rest) and Derrick Rose (knee), stormed from 24 down in the opening half to beat the league-worst 76ers. Butler tied Golden State’s Stephen Curry for the NBA’s highest individual scoring game of the season. Robert Covington scored 25 points for the Sixers (4-38), who blew the biggest lead in the NBA this season.

Toronto Raptors 106, Orlando Magic 103 (OT)
Kyle Lowry scored 24 points, Cory Joseph tied a season-best with 19 off the bench, and the Raptors (25-15) won their fourth in a row after outlasting the Magic at the O2 Arena in London. Victor Oladipo scored 27 points for Orlando (20-19), who lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Memphis Grizzlies 103, Detroit Pistons 101
Mario Chalmers scored 25 points, including the 19-foot leaning jumper with eight-tenths of a second left, lifting the Grizzlies (22-19) past the visiting Pistons (21-19)

Sacramento Kings 103, Utah Jazz 101
Rudy Gay buried the game-winning 17-foot fade-away jumper with six tenths of a second remaining, sending the visiting Kings over the Jazz.
DeMarcus Cousins led Sacramento (16-23) with 36 points and 17 rebounds while Gay finished with 24 points. Gordon Hayward paced Utah (17-22) with 21 points.