AROUND THE NBA

AROUND THE NBA

Monday’s games

Warriors 132, Pacers 100

INDIANAPOLIS

Stephen Curry’s first-half shooting clinic was virtually flawless.

His championship teammates pitched in, too. Curry scored 23 of his 26 points in the first half Monday and Golden State ran away with a rout at Indiana for its league-leading 11th consecutive victory. The two-time defending champions still aren’t satisfied. “I feel like we can,” Curry said when asked if the Warriors can get even better. “We’re not playing perfect basketball, by any stretch, but we’re playing consistent, focused basketball and we’re still working out some kinks with rotations and stuff like that.” It’s a scary thought for the rest of the league, especially after the two-time MVP turned in another head-turning performance. Curry made his first eight shots and his first six 3-pointers, including a demoralizing 27-foot buzzer-beater that gave the Warriors a 69-48 halftime lead. He finished 10 of 13 from the field with six rebounds, three assists and two steals in just 27 minutes. DeMarcus Cousins had a season-high 22 points on a night five players scored in double figures and the Warriors had 39 assists. And all that came on the final leg of a five-game road trip without Draymond Green, who rested, and against the league’s No. 1 scoring defense. “I was a little worried about this game. Everybody’s anxious to get home,” coach Steve Kerr said. “But we finished off the trip the right way. We’ve been more dialed in the last month than we have all season.” Golden State has won a league-high 10 consecutive road games and swept a five-game trip for the first time since November 2014. The Pacers played without All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, who had season-ending surgery on his right knee Monday, and Tyreke Evans, Oladipo’s replacement, because of a sore back. But even at full strength, they may have struggled to weather the Warriors’ flurry. Indiana gave up a season-high 40 points in the first quarter, and never got closer than 16 after Curry broke a 16-16 tie by scoring eight points to start a decisive 24-6 quarter-closing run en route to its most lopsided loss this season. “There’s no doubt in my mind that this team is going on the up track,” Pacers guard Darren Collison said. “I think we saw tonight, playing against a team like that, how to execute and we can take something from that.” Myles Turner scored 16 points and Bojan Bogdanovic had 15 but Indiana lost for the second straight time since Oladipo was injured last week. It was the Pacers’ worst loss this season.

Nuggets 95, Grizzlies 92

MEMPHIS, TENN.

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are off to the best start in franchise history. Only took until the last half of the fourth quarter for them to look the part. Jokic scored 24 points and made a go-ahead hook shot with 28.9 seconds left, and the Nuggets overcame a 25-point second-half deficit to beat the Memphis Grizzlies. The Nuggets rallied hard in the final 41/2 minutes, and Will Barton’s 3-pointer with 43.9 seconds remaining gave the Nuggets their first lead of the game at 91-89. After a 3-pointer from Memphis’ Justin Holiday, Jokic’s basket from 7 feet out put Denver ahead to stay. “We just didn’t give up,” Jokic said, adding: “That says something about the team. We don’t want to quit. We were fighting.” Malik Beasley keyed the fourth-quarter burst, scoring 13 of his 18 points in the final period. Beasley was critical as the Nuggets erased a 13-point deficit with a 19-4 burst. He scored seven points in that stretch and handed out the assist on Barton’s basket that completed the rally, giving the Nuggets their first lead of the game. The 25-point margin was the largest of the season that Denver has overcome. The Nuggets trailed 77-60 entering the fourth, — the 17-point deficit translating to the second-largest fourth-quarter comeback in franchise history. Marc Gasol led Memphis with 28 points and nine rebounds, and Mike Conley had 23 points and 11 assists. The 25 points marked the largest regular-season blown lead ever for the Grizzlies. The atmosphere was somewhat somber in the Memphis locker room, not only because of the loss, but because of the uncertainty of Gasol’s and Conley’s future in Memphis, where the two players have spent their entire careers. The Grizzlies revealed last week they would entertain trade offers for the two, the longest-tenured teammates in the NBA. Memphis heads out on a three-game road trip, not returning home until Feb. 5. While still two days before the trade deadline, some wondered if this could be the last home appearance for one or both of them. “It’s been an awkward week for sure,” Conley said. “It’s been feeling like it’s our eulogy. People giving us hugs and asking for one last autograph, all that stuff. And I’m thinking: ‘I’m not gone. I’m still here.”’

Celtics 112, Nets 104

BOSTON

Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each scored 21 points, and Boston beat Brooklyn to snap the injury-riddled Nets’ six-game winning streak. Aron Baynes had 16 points, Marcus Morris 15, and Al Horford and Terry Rozier each had 14 for Boston, which tied a franchise record with 16 blocked shots and won for the sixth time in seven games. Horford had 11 rebounds. The Celtics played without star guard Kyrie Irving, who was sidelined with a sore left hip. D’Angelo Russell led the Nets with 25 points and Shabazz Napier had 20. Brooklyn had won 19 of its previous 24 games.

Hornets 101, Knicks 92

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Kemba Walker and Tony Parker each had 15 points, Malik Monk had four clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and Charlotte handed New York its 10th straight loss. Monk scored 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter to help ignite a 17-1 run as Charlotte improved to 17-8 at home. Kevin Knox had 19 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. 17 for the struggling Knicks, who have won one game since beating the Hornets on Dec. 14.

Associated Press