Knicks stun San Antonio while Nets seal shock win over Thunder.
There were nine games on the NBA schedule last night, and there were a number of shocks as the Golden State Warriors led the way with their win in Miami against the Heat.
It was another night to remember for Warriors point guard Stephen Curry who led his team to their seventh consecutive win with an inspirational performance at the AA Arena.
Curry finished with 36 points, 12 assists, four steals and made eight 3-pointers, while David Lee had 32 points and 14 rebounds as the Warriors sealed a 123-114 win over the Heat.
“Curry was spectacular,” Warriors coach Mark Jackson told reporters after the game. “If he doesn’t make the All-Star team, I might retire.”
In response, LeBron James had 26 points while Dwyane Wade added 22 for Miami as all five starters ended the game in double figures. However, James conceded that Curry is without doubt one of the best shooters in the NBA and when on form he is difficult to stop.
“It’s a good experience against a championship-caliber team,” Curry said. “They know how to get it done so to come in here and play the way we did, it shows we’re on the right path.”
Golden State move to 21-13 for the season and into sixth spot in the Western Conference, and will be looking to extend the NBA’s longest active winning streak further in the coming nights.
There were more shocks around the league on Thursday night though, as the Brooklyn Nets won in Oklahoma City against the Thunder.
Joe Johnson delivered on the final possession to sink the game-winning shot to help give the Nets a 95-93 comeback win as point guard Deron Williams finished with a season-high 29 points.
Kevin Durant had 24 points but despite Brooklyn coming into the game having lost two in a row and six of their last seven games, they had enough to inflict just a third home defeat on OKC.
They were matched by their city rivals, the New York Knicks, who stunned the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center with Carmelo Anthony returning to action.
The Knicks star scored 27 points and added 12 rebounds in the 105-101 win, while Iman Shumpert added a career-high 27.
“The effort level was very high, the energy level was very high,” Anthony said. “We played like we wanted this game.”
Shumpert put his shooting night down to his team-mate, as he felt as though with the Spurs double-teaming Anthony all night, he was able to get some free looks.
Marco Belinelli had a career-high 32 points but missed two key three-pointers down the stretch, while Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were restricted to just 12 and 11 points respectively.
One team who didn’t allow the winning to stop though was the Portland Trail Blazers, who hit 21 threes en route to their 30-point rout of the Charlotte Bobcats.
Damian Lillard had 24 points and made all six of his three-point attempts, as he helped match a franchise record in the process.
NBA Results:
Orlando Magic 81-87 Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors 123-114 Miami Heat
Boston Celtics 82-94 Chicago Bulls
Brooklyn Nets 95-93 Oklahoma City Thunder
New York Knicks 105-101 San Antonio Spurs
Memphis Grizzlies 99-91 Phoenix Suns
Milwaukee Bucks 87-96 Utah Jazz
Charlotte Bobcats 104-134 Portland Trail Blazers
Philadelphia 113-104 Sacramento Kings
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