Stephen Curry scores 46 points in Warriors’ comeback win over Spurs while Thunder dominate Lakers and Nikola Jokic drops 55 points for Nuggets
LOS ANGELES: Stephen Curry scored 46 points as the Golden State Warriors rallied to stun the San Antonio Spurs 125-120 in Wednesday’s NBA action.
Curry scored 31 of his points in the second half, handing the Spurs their first home defeat of the season and snapping San Antonio’s three-game winning streak.
The victory came despite triple-doubles from both Victor Wembanyama and teammate Stephon Castle for the Spurs.
Wembanyama delivered 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists while Castle added 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
San Antonio led by 16 in the second quarter before the Warriors cut the deficit to seven at halftime and powered to the lead in the third quarter.
“That third quarter is what we do,” Curry said after the comeback victory.
“Getting stops, pushing, creating easy offense, and thankfully I was able to knock a couple down.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder delivered a reality check to the Los Angeles Lakers with a dominant 121-92 victory.
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out-dueled Luka Doncic, scoring 30 points with five rebounds and nine assists.
Oklahoma City led by as many as 37 points, with Gilgeous-Alexander and his fellow starters sitting out the fourth quarter.
Doncic scored 19 points with seven rebounds and seven assists before being pulled for the final period.
The Thunder improved their league-best record to 12-1 with the comprehensive victory.
“We definitely got better the last two days and that’s the main goal,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Nikola Jokic capped the night with a 55-point outburst that propelled the Denver Nuggets to a 130-116 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Denver’s three-time MVP added 12 rebounds and six assists in a ruthlessly efficient display.
Jokic connected on 18 of his 23 shots, including five of six from three-point range, matching the league’s highest scoring performance of the season.
He scored 25 points in the first quarter alone before securing his fifth career game with 50 or more points.
The Orlando Magic handed the New York Knicks their first home defeat of the season, triumphing 124-107 at Madison Square Garden.
Franz Wagner scored 28 points and pulled down nine rebounds to propel the Magic despite Paolo Banchero’s early departure with a groin injury.
Jalen Brunson scored 31 points for New York before exiting with an apparent leg injury in the final minutes.
In Detroit, Paul Reed scored a season-high 28 points to lead the red-hot Pistons to an eighth-straight victory, 124-113 over the Chicago Bulls. – AFP
