Curry stars again in nervy win over Celtics; T’Wolves sink Lakers
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Stephen Curry followed up his record-setting night earlier in the week with 30 points in Boston as the Golden State Warriors held on to beat the Celtics 111-107 on Friday.
Curry’s Warriors survived to win a tight game down the stretch after Golden State blew a 20-point lead against the undermanned Celtics.
One game after breaking Ray Allen’s all-time record for three-pointers, Curry was facing Allen’s former team at the Boston Garden arena.
Curry nailed consecutive threes on his first two shots of the game, giving the Warriors an 11-point lead just four minutes in.
Andrew Wiggins added 27 points, Andre Iguodala chipped in 12 points, and Draymond Green tallied a team-high eight assists for the Warriors, who have won five of their last six games.
Jayson Tatum had 27 points, eight rebounds, and six assists to lead Boston, who have dropped five of their last seven.
Boston were missing starting centre Al Horford and forwards Grant Williams, Jabari Parker, Juancho Hernangomez, and Sam Hauser, all because of the league’s COVID-19 measures.
Celtics guard Dennis Schroder also missed the game with a non-COVID-19-related illness. Boston guard Romeo Langford left the game with neck pain in the second quarter and did not return.
It was Warriors Coach Steve Kerr’s 400th coaching victory over eight seasons. “It means I’m incredibly lucky to coach a bunch of talented guys,” said Kerr.
Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves won their third straight game with a 110-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Minneapolis.
D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley scored 17 apiece, and Jaylen Nowell came off the bench to score 14 points for the Timberwolves.
LeBron James struggled, scoring just 18 points, while Anthony Davis finished with only nine before limping off to the locker room in the third quarter with a sore knee. Davis got the injury shortly after taking a pass from James.
The Lakers said Davis had a left knee contusion and would undergo additional evaluation in Chicago on Saturday.
Isaiah Thomas scored a team-high 19 points for the Lakers in his season debut.
In Florida, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent delivered career-high performances as the Miami Heat rolled over the short-handed Orlando Magic 115-105.
Damian Lillard scored a season-high 43 points and added eight assists as the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 125-116 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.