Coach Kerr returns as Warriors beat Pacers

The Golden State Warriors responded to the return of their leader in a big way as Steve Kerr made his long-awaited season coaching debut Friday after a medical absence.
Stephen Curry had 39 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his seventh career triple-double and the league-best Warriors beat the Indiana Pacers 122-110 for their 40th consecutive home win, with 24 of those home wins this season alone.  
“It was great having him back,” said Curry, who nailed eight triples, including a 50-foot heave off the glass to beat the halftime buzzer.  “He inspired me from the jump.”
Kerr had missed 43 games with migraine headaches prompted by leakage of spinal cord fluid following two back surgeries in the off-season.
In his first coaching appearance since guiding the Warriors to the NBA crown last June, Kerr was given a warm standing ovation by the sellout crowd at Oracle Arena. “It felt great, it was fun and the fans were great,” Kerr said. “In the end, it’s great to be back coaching with the group. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
Draymond Green finished with 22 points with 12 rebounds while Klay Thompson netted 18 for the defending league champion Warriors (40-4), who never trailed en route to their 40 consecutive home win.
“It’s been a while and it’s great to have coach back,” Green said.  “It’s great to see him back doing what he loves, it means the world to us.”
‘We missed him. He’s our leader, and his presence out there gives us a calming feeling,” Thompson added. “We’re glad he’s making a healthy recovery.” Myles Turner topped Indiana (23-20) with a career-best 29 points while Monta Ellis added 18 against his former team.
Elsewhere:
• San Antonio Spurs 108, LA Lakers 95: Argentinian Manu Ginobili scored a season-high 20 points; newly minted all-star Kawhi Leonard added 18; and the surging Spurs (38-6) rolled the lowly host Lakers (9-36) for the Spurs’ 13th consecutive victory. Retiring Kobe Bryant scored five points on the 10th anniversary of his 81-point game against Toronto, but the Lakers (9-36) lost their fifth in a row.
•Charlotte Hornets 120, Orlando Magic 116 (OT): Kemba Walker put up 40 points; Spencer Hawes hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 17 seconds in overtime; and the Hornets (20-23) edged the Magic to stop a 10-game road slide. Victor Oladipo had 29 points for Orlando (20-22), which lost its fifth straight and ninth in 10 games.
•LA Clippers 116, New York Knicks 88: DeAndre Jordan scored 20 points on 7-of-7 shooting, while Chris Paul added 16 with 13 assists, helping the visiting Clippers (28-13) crush the Knicks (22-24) for their 12th win in the last 14 games.
•Boston Celtics 110, Chicago Bulls 101: Isaiah Thomas tossed in 22 points, Avery Bradley had 21 and the Celtics (23-21) held off a late charge to beat the visiting Bulls. Jimmy Butler had 28 points with 14 rebounds while Derrick Rose netted 27 points for Chicago (24-18), losers in six of its last eight contests.
•Utah Jazz 108, Brooklyn Nets 86: Gordon Hayward had 21 points with nine assists, Rodney Hood netted 16 and the visiting Jazz (19-24) used a dominant 37-17 third-quarter to hand the sliding Nets (11-33) their fifth straight loss and 10 of 11.
•Houston Rockets 102, Milwaukee Bucks 98: James Harden tossed in 30 points, Trevor Ariza had 19, including two clinching free throws in the final seconds, and the host Rockets (23-22) - without centre Dwight Howard (left ankle sprain) - beat the visiting Bucks. Kris Middleton and Greg Monroe scored 21 points for Milwaukee (19-26), which had won its previous three decisions.
•Toronto Raptors 101, Miami Heat 81: DeMar Derozan dropped in 33 points and the host Raptors (28-15) rolled to their seventh straight victory after beating the Heat (23-21), minus injured starters Hassan Whiteside, Loul Deng and Goran Dragic.   
•Oklahoma City Thunder 109, Dallas Mavericks 106: Kevin Durant dropped in 24 points and the visiting Thunder (33-12) held off the Mavericks to extend its season-high winning streak to seven after nearly blowing a 15-point fourth-quarter cushion. Chandler Parsons led Dallas (25-20) with 26 points but missed a potential game-tying triple just in front of the final buzzer.