The Warriors dominate the Bulls to make it 11-1
The Golden State Warriors wanted to finish their last home game before a four-game road trip in style, and that’s exactly what they did against the Chicago Bulls in a dominant 119-93 victory.
Steph Curry was on full chef mode today, finishing with 40 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal, a block, and 6 turnovers while shooting a sizzling 15 of 24 overall and 9 of 17 from three. He sat with 4:18 left in the game and the Warriors up 107-84. Curry built on a record he owns today, as it was his 36th game with 9 threes or more. He’s so far ahead in that category, too, as Damian Lillard and James Harden are tied for second with 9 apiece.
Curry carried the day, and the only other Warriors to score in double figures were Andrew Wiggins with 15 points and Jordan Poole with 14. It’s not like the Warriors were selfish with the ball, though. Everyone that played scored except for Juan Toscano-Anderson, and they had 27 assists on 45 made baskets.
The Warriors generally had a good time on the court, with Andre Iguodala turning back the clock with some dunks, Draymond Green making a bunch of driving baskets on his way to an effective quadruple-single with 9 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and a steal.
Warriors have now won seven games in a row in double digits after their overtime defeat to the Grizzlies to start their home stand.
James Harden had the big offensive night he’s been waiting for all season
In theory, the game between the Brooklyn Nets and the struggling New Orleans Pelicans should have been an easy one for the Nets. It looked that way, too, when Brooklyn headed into the fourth quarter with a 95-83 lead, but the Pelicans made a spirited comeback to take a 104-101 lead with 4:36 left in the game.
However, the Nets have cheat codes in the form of Kevin Durant and James Harden. The latter had 7 points and 2 assists in the closing stretch to help the Nets finish with a 120-112 victory.
Harden had a huge offensive game with 39 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists while shooting 11 of 18 from the field, 6 of 10 from deep and 11 of 15 from the free throw line. It was the first time he’s crossed the 30-point barrier this season. Durant was no slouch, either, finishing with 28 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists while shooting 11 of 17 from the field and making 3 of 3 triples.
No one on the Suns scores 20 points, but they make it a seven-game winning streak anyway
The Phoenix Suns took a 119-94 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies today, and they led for almost the entire game, barring a 5-5 tie in the first quarter. It was a great total team effort, with six Suns scoring in double-figures, and none of them had to score 20 points. Devin Booker and Jae Crowder had 17 apiece, while Chris Paul had 15 points, 12 assists and 5 steals.
The Point God, as usual, had some insane passes, including this beauty in the first quarter:
Ja Morant had 26 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists for the Grizzlies, and Jaren Jackson Jr. was the only other Grizzly to score in double digits with 19 points and 4 rebounds.
The Suns now share the current longest-winning streak in the league with the Warriors at seven games. They’re now second in the Western Conference with an 8-3 record.
Lakers were embarrassed by Timberwolves
Wolves were down 49-44 at halftime. Then, out of nowhere, they went on a rampage in the third quarter while outscoring the Lakers 40-12.
Karl Anthony-Towns scored 18 points in that pivotal third quarter and he finished with 29 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. D’Angelo Russell added 22 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists while making 5 of 9 threes. Anthony Edwards, fresh off a career-high 48 against the Warriors, had a much quieter game with 9 points, but it didn’t matter since his teammates stepped up.
It was a dismal night for the Lakers, who got a good contribution from Anthony Davis with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks, but he didn’t get much help. Russell Westbrook had 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists with 5 turnovers. Carmelo Anthony had a horrible shooting night, going 1 of 12 for 3 points.
The Mavericks’ Euro duo finally had a big game together
The Dallas Mavericks had been waiting all season for Kristaps Porzingis to have a big game, and he delivered today with 32 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks while shooting 12 of 22 from the field. This boosted a big triple-double from Luka Doncic, who had 32 points, 12 rebounds, 15 assists, and 2 steals.
That was enough to lead the Mavericks to a 123-109 win against the San Antonio Spurs. The win pushed Dallas’ record to 8-4.
Nikola Jokic dropped another triple-double as Nuggets take down Hawks
Nikola Jokic has been generally brilliant this season, even if his most memorable moment so far this season was putting Markieff Morris in his place. The Joker put on another big night again with 22 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists. Aaron Gordon helped him out with 23 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
That was good enough to get the Nuggets the 105-96 win. The Hawks got 30 points and 9 assists from Trae Young, while John Collins had 26 points and 9 rebounds. Clint Capela had another double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
The Celtics outlast the Bucks in OT
Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out because of an ankle sprain, but the Milwaukee Bucks still gave a spirited display against the Boston Celtics, which ended up with a 122-113 overtime victory for the Celtics.
The Bucks got big nights from their role-players, with Bobby Portis finishing with 22 points and Grayson Allen Dropping 21 points. Jrue Holiday, the lone member of the Bucks’ big three, had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 13 assists, but had a horrible shooting night, going 6 of 12 from the field and 1 of 12 from deep.
Dennis Schroder, our favorite bag-dropping summer name, put on a big display for the Celtics when he got a chance to start. He led the game with 38 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Jayson Tatum had a double-double with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
Coach Ime Udoka had high praise for Schroder after the game. The Celtics are now 6-6, while the Bucks have fallen to 6-7.
