STEPH CURRY ERUPTED for 45 points to propel the Golden State Warriors to a 121-105 NBA victory over the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Curry, who has dazzled since returning from an 11-game injury absence, connected on eight of his 16 three-point attempts and made a career-high 15 of his 16 free throws.
He sat out the entire fourth quarter, but his 45 points in 29 minutes on the floor marked the fifth time in NBA history that a player scored 45 or more in 30 minutes or less.
“I knew right away, when I got free for a couple of threes in the first quarter and they went down, I got in a rhythm,” Curry said.
“Beyond that, you just keep your head down and keep shooting and stay aggressive.”
In the four games since his return, Curry has averaged 36 points while shooting 65.6% from the field.
“He’s on fire,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “Maybe the break was good for him. He’s been amazing.”
Curry’s performance meant that the Warriors, the reigning NBA champions, hardly missed forward Kevin Durant, who was again sidelined with a right calf strain.
Leading by nine at half time, the Warriors outscored the Clippers 39-21 in the third quarter, expanding the lead to as many as 30 points.
“That third quarter was important for us,” Kerr said. “But this was mainly about Steph tonight.”
For the Clippers, it was more than a demoralising defeat as Blake Griffin suffered a concussion with less than three minutes left in the first quarter.
Griffin was driving to the basket and seemed to slip before Warriors reserve center JaVale McGee inadvertently caught him in the forehead with an elbow.
Griffin collapsed to the court, shaking as he held his head in his hands.
He remained down for several minutes before he was able to make his way to the locker room.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, who have dueled with the Warriors in the past three NBA Finals, snapped their five-game road losing streak with a 131-127 victory over the Magic in Orlando.
LeBron James scored 33 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and handed out nine assists.
The Cavaliers improved to 26-13, third in the Eastern Conference led by the Boston Celtics — who held on for an 87-85 victory over the Nets in Brooklyn.
In Detroit, the Pistons shook off the injury absences of Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson and Stanley Johnson to beat the Houston Rockets 108-101.
In Indianapolis, Victor Oladipo returned from injury to score 23 points with nine assists and five steals in the Indiana Pacers’ 125-86 victory over the sluggish Chicago Bulls.
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