OAKLAND—Stephen Curry rattled in a three pointer with 68 seconds left to lift the Golden State Warriors to a 112-108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in a battle of undefeated teams Wednesday.
It was the seventh three pointer of the contest for the reigning league MVP Curry, who also scored 13 straight points in the win.
There were 17 lead changes in the see-saw contest, with Curry’s three pointer being the final one to make it 108-106.
“We have been through this before,” said Curry, who had a game high 31 points. “Our experience as a team helped us win.
“We are a better team than we were last year. We have got off to a better start and we are a more composed.”
The Warriors improved to 5-0 and have picked up right where they left off last season. They have won their first four games by a record 100 points — and Curry is proving that his MVP award is no fluke.
Curry and teammate Klay Thompson added two late free throws apiece as the Warriors recorded their eighth consecutive home win over the Clippers.
Forward Harrison Barnes added 17 points and Thompson 16 for the Warriors, who placed all five starters in double figures.
Point guard Chris Paul had 24 points and nine assists for the Clippers (4-1), and power forward Blake Griffin tallied 23 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
Griffin had eight points in the third quarter, which ended with Los Angeles clinging to an 83-82 advantage.
The Warriors played without Aussie center Andrew Bogut, who missed his fourth consecutive game with a concussion.
– James in control –
LeBron James took over the game in the fourth quarter, finishing with 23 points and five rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New York Knicks 96-86.
James started slow but then scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, including six straight. His three-pointer with four minutes left extended the Cavaliers lead to 87-79.
Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and rookie forward Kristaps Porzingis scored 13 points.
Asked what he was thinking going into the fourth quarter, James said, “that I got 12 minutes to redeem myself.”
“We are going to have some bumps in the road. But if we defend at a high level and share the ball offensively then we have got a chance to win every night,” James said.
– Hawks continue to soar –
In Atlanta, two teams heading in opposite directions continued on their respective paths Wednesday. Al Horford scored 21 points as the Atlanta Hawks won their fifth consecutive game with a 101-87 victory over the Brooklyn Nets who dropped to 0-5. The Hawks improved to 5-1.
