AFP
MINNEAPOLIS, DECEMBER 9
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson scored 21 points apiece as the Golden State Warriors romped past Minnesota to stretch their NBA winning streak to 13 games.
Already enjoying the longest winning streak in club history, the Warriors ran their road winning streak to a franchise-first eight games. Shaun Livingston and Marreese Speights both scored 12 points and Draymond Green added 10 points with 10 rebounds for the Warriors, who saw Aussie center Andrew Bogut depart after just two minutes with right knee trouble.
“Tonight was not our best ever, the second half was good,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s good to pile up as many road wins as possible because it’s going to get tougher as we go.”
The Warriors haven’t lost a game since falling to NBA champions San Antonio at home in Oakland on November 11.
But they’re not the only streaking team in the league. The Cleveland Cavaliers notched their seventh successive victory with a 110-88 victory over the Nets in Brooklyn, where the attendance of Britain’s Prince William and wife Kate at their first NBA game took some of the focus off the court.
Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson combined for 40 points and keyed a third quarter run that propelled the Cavaliers to victory over a short-handed Nets team.
James had 18 points and seven assists and Kevin Love added 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavs.
The Nets, playing without ailing guard Joe Johnson and injured center Brook Lopez, kept it close through the first half, but they were out-scored 24-6 over the final six minutes of the third to take an 85-67 lead into the fourth.
The Atlanta Hawks won their seventh straight -- and fourth on the road -- with a 108-92 victory over the Pacers in Indianapolis.
Al Horford scored 25 points, pulled down eight rebounds and blocked three shots for the Hawks, who had 21 points and seven assists from Jeff Teague and 13 points from Kyle Korver.
The Pacers had been hoping to turn things around with a return home after a winless four-game road trip, but instead lost their fifth straight.
Things don’t get easier for the Pacers. They next face the Los Angeles Clippers, who won their eighth straight on Monday by the skin of their teeth, downing Phoenix 121-120 in overtime.
Blake Griffin finished with 45 points that included an unlikely three-pointer for the victory on the final possession of the contest.
It was just his 10th three-point attempt of the season, and hit the front of the rim before dropping through the net.
Griffin’s heroics helped the Clippers withstand a triple-double from the Suns’ Eric Bledsoe, who finished with 27 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds.
