Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry celebratesBen Margot/The Associated Press
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr saw the look in Stephen Curry's eyes and the bounce in his step as he sprinted with the ball in transition."I was thinking, 'Don't call timeout,"' Kerr said.
Good move, Coach.
Curry made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds remaining, sending the Warriors to a thrilling 98-97 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night for their 10th straight win.
"I wanted to go to my left down the middle and go to the basket and maybe get fouled or something, but he kind of bit on the in-and-out move and I was able to get a rhythm shot in transition," Curry said.
In the most dramatic finish to their streak, Curry lost Tobias Harris with some crafty dribbling before pulling up to swish the shot. Curry shook his shoulders and pounded his chest as the announced sellout crowd of 19,596 roared at noisy Oracle Arena.
"It's just kind of a rush that every player loves to experience," Curry said. "Especially at home when you're able to do that and get a huge win, you remember those moments."
Draymond Green, who sprained his right thumb in the first quarter, deflected Kyle O'Quinn's pass to Harris on Orlando's last possession to preserve Golden State's streak.
Curry finished with 22 points and five assists, and Klay Thompson scored 20 as the Warriors rallied from nine points down in the final four minutes.
The Warriors (15-2) extended the best start in franchise history and moved within one game of matching the team record for consecutive victories set in the 1971-72 season. They have not lost since Nov. 11 to the defending champion San Antonio Spurs and are finding ways to win even when they're not at their best.
"That's what the good teams do," said Warriors centre Andrew Bogut, who had 12 rebounds, seven points and five blocks.
Victor Oladipo scored 27 points, and O'Quinn had 21 points and 11 rebounds in a stunning collapse for the young Magic. Orlando had lost four in a row before beating Phoenix on Sunday.
"That's some of the best basketball we've played all year and it comes out disappointing because Steph made a lot of tough shots, big-time shots," Harris said.
In their first game home since a 5-0 road trip, the Warriors gave their fans quite a show in the closing minutes.
Oladipo's 3-pointer put the Magic up 93-84 with 4:11 left. But Curry came back with a 3, and Thompson connected on consecutive shots from beyond the arc to quickly tie the game.
The teams traded scores and misses – with the Warriors clanking three 3s on one possession – before Harris banked in a running shot over Bogut, who couldn't finish an alley-oop from Curry on Golden State's next time down.
After Elfrid Payton's missed a difficult layup, Curry got the ball and raced down court for the tying shot from long range, where the Warriors had struggled most of the night. Golden State ended 8 for 27 from deep.
Curry (sprained left ankle) and Thompson (bruised right quadriceps) were questionable before the game and took more than three quarters to find a rhythm. Both said they felt fine afterward.
LAKERS 106, PISTONS 96
AUBURN HILLS, Mich – Kobe Bryant scored all 12 of his points in a row, leading an impressive flurry in the third quarter that sent the Los Angeles Lakers over the Detroit Pistons 106-96 on Tuesday night.
The Pistons held Bryant scoreless in the first half, but still lost their ninth in a row.
Bryant began the day as the NBA's leading scorer at almost 27 points per game. His burst in the third helped the Lakers to an 81-65 lead heading into the final period.
Los Angeles had six players score in double figures, including each of its starters. Jordan Hill scored 22 points, and reserve Ronnie Price had 19.
Josh Smith led Detroit with 18 points, and Andre Drummond added eight points and 13 rebounds. The Pistons have lost by an average of nearly 10 points per game during their skid.
Carlos Boozer hit the first three baskets of the game for the Lakers while Bryant struggled. Bryant missed all five of his shots in the first half, and also had five turnovers and two fouls.
The Lakers led 46-45 at the break, and the Pistons hurt themselves early in the third quarter when Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy were called for technical fouls.
Bryant then took over, scoring the next dozen points for the Lakers and drawing huge cheers from the many Los Angeles fans in attendance. By the time he was done, the Lakers led 70-54.
MAVERICKS 132, BULLS 129, 2OT
CHICAGO – Monta Ellis hit three foul shots for Dallas with 1.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and then made a go-ahead 3-pointer late in the second overtime.
Ellis finished with 38 points, including his trio of foul shots that made it 108-all. He was fouled by Kirk Hinrich soon after crossing half-court.
Chicago's Derrick Rose banked in a 3-point at the overtime buzzer to force double OT.
Ellis' 3 put the Mavericks up 130-129, and Chandler Parsons added two foul shots. Rose missed a 3-point try as time expired.
Dirk Nowitzki had 22 points on 8-for-22 shooting in Dallas' fourth consecutive win.
Pau Gasol led the Bulls with 29 points and 14 rebounds.
PELICANS 112, THUNDER 104
NEW ORLEANS – Reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant returned from a foot injury and scored 27 points in his season debut for Oklahoma City, but Tyreke Evans powered the Pelicans to the win.
Durant played nearly 30 minutes, looking healthy whether he was throwing down a driving, two-handed dunk or snapping off one of his three 3-pointers.
Evans scored 15 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. Anthony Davis had 25 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for the Pelicans.
Russell Westbrook, in his second game back from a hand injury for the Thunder, scored 21.
CAVALIERS 111, BUCKS 108
CLEVELAND – Kyrie Irving scored 28 points, LeBron James had 26 points and 10 assists and Mike Miller provided a much-needed spark off Cleveland's bench, leading the Cavaliers to their fourth straight win.
Kevin Love added 27 points for the Cavs, who got all they could handle from the young Bucks.
Brandon Knight scored 24 and 19-year-old rookie Jabari Parker, the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft, had 22 points for Milwaukee.
Miller, who wasn't used by coach David Blatt in the previous three games, made two 3-pointers, grabbed seven rebounds and had a key block in 18 minutes – all in the second half.
TRAIL BLAZERS 105, NUGGETS 103
DENVER – LaMarcus Aldridge scored a season-high 39 points and set up the winning basket on a pass inside to Robin Lopez with 1.3 seconds left, helping Portland rally for the win.
Aldridge received an in-bounds pass and dished it to Lopez, who sealed off J.J. Hickson with his hip for an easy layup.
Danilo Gallinari's 3-pointer at the buzzer was well short as the Blazers won their seventh straight over Denver.
Aldridge also had 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double in six games. Damian Lillard scored 17 points, and Wesley Matthews added 15.
Ty Lawson led Denver with 24 points and 13 assists on the second night of a back-to-back.
HAWKS 109, CELTICS 105
ATLANTA – Kyle Korver scored 24 points, and the Hawks rallied to beat the struggling Celtics.
Paul Millsap added 19 points for Atlanta, which has won three straight and five of six. Korver went 6 for 7 from 3-point range.
Boston has lost five straight and eight of nine. Jeff Green and Jared Sullinger had 25 points apiece for the Celtics, and Rajon Rondo set a season high with 19 assists.
The Celtics got off to a fast start and led by as many as 23 points in the first half. But the Hawks erased much of Boston's lead with a big third quarter and then pulled ahead early in the final period.
NETS 98, KNICKS 93
NEW YORK – Brook Lopez scored 23 points, Joe Johnson added 22 and Brooklyn improved to 2-0 this season against its city rival.
Deron Williams finished with 19 points for the Nets, who won for just the third time in 10 games after blowing most of a 16-point, second-half lead.
Carmelo Anthony had 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists, but missed a potential tying 3-pointer with about 5 seconds left as the Knicks lost their fifth straight. They fell to 4-15.
Jose Calderon had 19 points and seven assists for New York, and Amare Stoudemire added 17 points and nine rebounds in his third start this season.
SUNS 116, PACERS 99
PHOENIX – Goran Dragic scored 34 points, Eric Bledsoe had 27 and the Suns earned their fourth straight victory over the Pacers.
The Suns' starting guards combined for 22-for-35 shooting. Dragic matched his season high for a game with 22 first-half points, and Bledsoe scored 21 in the second half.
Gerald Green and Markieff Morris added 15 points apiece for the Suns, who broke the game open in the final seven minutes.
C.J. Miles scored 17 for Indiana, and Roy Hibbert had 15 points and 10 rebounds.