Tuesday 1 December 2015 09:45, UK
The Golden State Warriors improved to 19-0 on the season but not before a mighty scare in their 106-103 win over the Utah Jazz.
Stephen Curry scored 26 points for the Warriors, who extended their NBA record unbeaten start, and it was his three-pointer with 51 seconds left that eventually broke a tie and helped them prevail.
The reigning champions led for most of the night, but the first in a near two-week long run of road games almost saw them defeated for the first time since last season's NBA Finals in June.
Curry struggled for the first three periods in Salt Lake City, but came alive in the final 12 minutes as he scored 10 of his points to fend off constant scoreboard pressure from the Jazz.
Utah had a chance to claim the lead with five seconds remaining but Rodney Hood was unable to convert from three-point range and Curry sealed victory with two free throws.
Klay Thompson and Draymond Green scored 20 points apiece for the Warriors, while the Jazz were led by 24 from Gordon Hayward, who came up short on a wayward half-court shot to tie the game in the final second.
"We've had some battles and, obviously, we've had some lopsided victories," Curry said. "But what gets lost in the record is the tough games we've had to claw our way out of like tonight.
"Just because we are 19-0 doesn't mean we can just show up and blow teams out and guarantee a win, we actually have to do something about it."
