The Splash Brothers rescued the Golden State Warriors. League top-scorer Stephen Curry fired in 42 points, including the go-ahead triple with 38 seconds left, Klay Thompson had 17 of his 33 in the fourth quarter, as the visiting Warriors beat the Miami Heat 118-112 on Wednesday.
“That’s Steph and Klay, that’s what they do,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “When both do it in the same night we’re really tough to beat.”
The sharpshooting All-Star duo combined to score 27 of the Warriors’ final 29 points, sparking the defending NBA champions to a league-best 51-5 record.
“He was hot,” Curry said of Thompson. “He got us back into the game, got us the lead in the fourth quarter. We don’t win tonight without him.”
Thompson said: “I was getting really good looks all night. It was a tough game but Steph has incredible takeover ability. I think we can both get hot when the time need be.”
Upset-minded Miami led 106-104 before Curry connected on 3-pointer with 66 seconds to play. The Heat regained the lead 108-107 with 56.5 seconds remaining on two Dwyane Wade free-throws before the Warriors answered.
Draymond Green had his 3-point try blocked by Miami’s Hassan Whiteside but Curry picked up the loose ball and knocked down his sixth triple of the game over the shot-blocking centre.
With the Warriors ahead, 114-110, Curry made two free-throws with 18.5 seconds left. Thompson added another pair from the stripe after stealing a Goran Dragic pass intended for Josh McRoberts to wrap up the win.
“We needed every point from both guys to win the game,” Kerr added. “Miami outplayed us for much of the game but we hung in there, and Steph and Klay took over in the fourth quarter.”
Wade scored a season-high 32 points, while Whiteside finished with 21 and 13 rebounds for Miami (32-25), which continues to play without All-Star big man Chris Bosh because of blood clot in his leg.
Elsewhere...
Oklahoma City Thunder 116, Dallas Mavericks 103: Russell Westbrook scored 24 points with 13 assists, Kevin Durant also netted 24 as the visiting Thunder (41-16) completed a 4-0 season series sweep over the Mavericks. German star Dirk Nowitzki topped Dallas (30-28 with a season-high 33 points.
San Antonio Spurs 108, Sacramento Kings 92: Frenchman Tony Parker tossed in 12 of his 25 points in the final quarter, Kawhi Leonard added 18 after missing three games with left calf tightness, and the visiting Spurs (48-9) beat the Kings for the 35th time in  39 games. DeMarcus Cousins had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings (24-32), whose three-game win streak ended.
Cleveland Cavaliers 114, Charlotte Hornets 103: LeBron James and Kyrie Irving scored 23 points apiece, and the Cavaliers (41-15) ended the visiting Hornets’ five-game winning streak. Kemba Walker tallied 20 points for Charlotte (29-27), which beat Cleveland earlier this month.
Denver Nuggets 87, LA Clippers 81: Kenneth Faried had 21 points with 11 rebounds, Gary Harris netted 17, including a 3-point dagger with 1:58 remaining, and the visiting Nuggets (23-35) stunned the Clippers to end a three-game slide. JJ Redick and Jamal Crawford had 20 points apiece for the lethargic Clippers (37-20), who taken the last four meetings in the series.
Detroit Pistons 111, Philadelphia 76ers 91: Tobias Harris scored 23 points to pace six players in double figures, and the host Pistons (29-29) sent the league-worst Sixers (8-49) to their sixth straight loss.
Toronto Raptors 114, Minnesota Timberwolves 104: DeMar DeRozan scored 31 points, Kyle Lowry added 12 of his 21 in the final quarter, and the Raptors (38-18) topped the Timberwolves for a franchise-tying record ninth straight home victory. Andrew Wiggins led Minnesota (18-40) with 26 points.
Chicago Bulls 109, Washington Wizards 104: Taj Gibson and E’Twaun Moore scored 17 points apiece, and the short-handed Bulls beat the visiting Wizards. The Bulls (30-26) were without top scorers Jimmy Butler (left knee strain), Derrick Rose (right hamstring tendinitis) and Montengrin Nikola Mirotec (appendicitis recovery). Bradley Beal had 19 points for the Wizards (26-30), whose three-game winning streak was stopped.
Memphis Grizzlies 128, LA Lakers 119: Matt Barnes scored a season-high 25 points, Mike Conley had 24, and the Grizzlies (33-23) hit 13-of-27 triples to beat the visiting Lakers in retiring Kobe Bryant’s final game in Memphis. Jordan Clarkson led the lowly Lakers (11-48) with 28 points, while Bryant finished with 13.
Indiana Pacers 108, New York Knicks 105: Paul George exploded for 25 of his 27 points after intermission, including 15 in the final quarter, and the Pacers (31-26) sent the sliding Knicks to their 13th loss in the last 15 games.