Two games, two streaks, and one emotional homecoming. Here is what stood out from Thursday’s action in the NBA.
Warriors Keep Rolling
The Golden State Warriors started this NBA season 0-3. Now, they’ve won six in a row. Stephen Curry scored 29 points, Yaxel Lendeborg added 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, and the Warriors beat the Miami Heat, 120-100, at Chase Center.
It wasn’t pretty at first. Curry began 1-for-8 and was 2-for-10 at halftime before coming alive in the third quarter. He finished 9-for-19 with six threes and just missed a fourth straight 30-point game because he rested once the game was out of hand. Along the way, he passed Oscar Robertson (26,710) for 17th place on the NBA’s career scoring list with a three-pointer at the 7:03 mark of the first quarter.
The decisive stretch came in the third, when Golden State outscored Miami, 26-9, and the Heat never recovered. Draymond Green had a season-high 11 assists, and Georges Niang scored 13 off the bench. The Warriors shot 39% from three (16-for-41), a number that matters to Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who called defending the arc “high on the priority list.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Heat, Davion Mitchell added 22 points and 8 assists, and Bam Adebayo had 18 and 10. It was Miami’s third stop on a five-game West Coast road trip.
Klay Thompson Comes Home
The other story in Golden State was a reunion. Klay Thompson returned to face his former team, receiving a warm ovation before tipoff. It came one night after he hit a winning three-pointer with a second left in overtime of Miami’s 117-116 victory over the Clippers. This time, the other Splash Brother had a quieter night, finishing with 11 points on 3-for-10 shooting. Andrew Wiggins also faced his old teammates and scored just two points on 1-for-6 shooting with six rebounds and four assists.
The night also had a more personal moment. The Warriors honored the late Jason Collins on Pride Night, with his twin brother, former Warriors assistant coach and Stanford star Jarron Collins, in attendance.
Suns Snap Four-Game Skid
The Phoenix Suns needed this one. Devin Booker scored 30 points, Dillon Brooks added 24, and the Suns beat the Orlando Magic, 117-104, to end a four-game losing streak, a night after losing at home to Portland.
Booker and Brooks hit back-to-back threes midway through the third quarter to push the lead to 78-60, and the lead was 96-73 heading into the fourth. Collin Gillespie’s three-pointer with 9:20 left made it 30, the biggest margin of the night. Booker had 23 in the first half alone, on 8-of-13 shooting. Miles Bridges added 18 points and a season-high 13 rebounds, and Phoenix shot 17-of-34 (50%) from three, with Booker and Brooks hitting four each.
The Magic turned it over 25 times, which Phoenix converted into 36 points. Wendell Carter Jr. had 27 points on 10-for-12 shooting and 13 rebounds, Tristan da Silva scored 18 off the bench, and Franz Wagner had 15 points and 15 assists. Orlando has lost three straight and dropped the opener of a four-game road trip. Phoenix is 1-1 on a seven-game homestand.
