Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant each scored 28 points as the Golden State
Warriors beat the Atlanta Hawks 114-109 on Friday despite losing Curry
in the second half to an ankle injury.
Curry tallied 15 of his points in the final seven minutes of the second
quarter, then left the game for good in the third after initially
tweaking his right ankle in the opening period.
Curry played just six minutes in the third before sitting down for the rest of the contest.
He said he doesn’t expect to miss much time going forward.
“Basically their call,” Curry said. “Frustrating, but in the big picture
I understand. I don’t think it’s going to be anything that will keep me
out.”
Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala made a clutch dunk in the final seconds
of the fourth quarter to help seal the win. With Golden State ahead by
three points, the Hawks took possession with a chance to tie the game.
But Iguodala stripped the ball from a Hawks player then raced the length
of the court for a slam dunk with five seconds left.
The play solidified the defending NBA champion Warriors’ 25th road win
of the season, giving them the best road record in the league (25-7).
Atlanta rallied from an 18-point deficit. Prior to Iguodala’s dunk they
had used a 9-0 burst to pull within two points with 20 seconds
remaining.
Curry shot eight-of-15 from the field, four-of-nine from three-point
range and made all eight of his free throws in 23 minutes of playing
time.
Curry also hit his 200th three-point field goal of the season. He is the
first player in league history to sink at least 200 threes in six
different seasons.
Curry missed time earlier this season with a sprained right ankle and
his health would most likely be a factor in determining the Warriors’
chances of winning back-to-back titles.
His history of ankle injuries includes missing 13 games this season after spraining it on December 4th in New Orleans.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said they don’t want to take any chances with Curry’s health.
“He wanted to stay in but we didn’t want him to stay in just because of the potential to make it worse,” Kerr said.
Russell Westbrook had 43 points and 14 rebounds and took over the game
down the stretch when the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a 13-point
deficit for a 124-116 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick
Resort Arena on Friday.
Westbrook, who finished two assists short of his 19th triple-double of
the season, scored eight points in the final 1:32 to help the Thunder
win for the fifth time in the last six games.
Devin Booker had 39 points and eight assists and Josh Jackson and TJ
Warren had 19 points apiece for the Suns, who have lost 11 of 12. They
broke a 10-game losing streak with a victory in Memphis on Wednesday.
Westbrook tied the game at 116 on a layup with 1:32 left, and his
3-pointer gave the Thunder a 119-116 lead with 55.9 seconds remaining.
After Jackson missed a long 3-pointer, Westbrook missed two shots but
got the offensive rebound both times. The Thunder called a timeout with
22.5 seconds left.
Westbrook was fouled and made one of two free throws with 18.2 seconds
remaining, and he sealed the game on a dunk after the Thunder stripped
Booker at the other end.
The Suns have lost 19 of 22 since beating Oklahoma City in Phoenix on
Jan. 7. The teams meet in the final game of the regular-season series
Wednesday in Oklahoma City.
Paul George had 20 points and Carmelo Anthony had 14 points and eight
rebounds for the Thunder, who have won 14 of 21 while competing for a
playoff spot in the tight Western Conference.
Westbrook remains three triple-doubles short of becoming the fourth
player in NBA history to reach 100. Jason Kidd (107) is third.
Booker tied a season high with six 3-pointers, and he has scored 39, 34,
40, 30, 27 and 28 points in his last six games while making 23 threes
after missing the four previous games with a hip injury.
Suns center Alex Len had seven points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots. The Suns made 11 of 22 3-pointers.
Booker and Westbrook staged a tug-of-war in the first half, which ended with the Suns holding a 67-60 lead.
Booker had 21 points, eight assists and four rebounds while making 9 of
12 field goal attempts. Westbrook had 19 points, seven rebounds and
four assists while making 7 of 12 shots from the field.
Elsewhere, DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and reserve CJ Miles chipped
in 20 as the Toronto Raptors won their season-high fourth straight game
on the road with a 102-95 win over the Washington Wizards.
Miles scored 11 points in the second half and was six of nine from
beyond the arc as the Raptors’ reserves dominated the Wizards’ bench
50-15.
Eastern Conference leaders Toronto have won 10 of their last 11 contests.
Otto Porter led Washington with 24 points on nine-of-12 shooting and
Bradley Beal rebounded from an eight-point game Wednesday against Golden
State to finish with 23.In Milwaukee, Victor Oladipo had 21 points, and
the Indiana Pacers nearly blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter
before holding off the Milwaukee Bucks for a 103-96 win.
Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) dunks against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter of their NBA game on Friday. PICTURE: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports