Steph Curry hit the ground running Sunday scoring 21 points in the first quarter, and another 17 in the fourth to help close out the victory for Warriors against the Trail Blazers; Jayson Tatum's jumper helps Celtics to late win over the Pistons; Wins for Lakers, Clippers and Jazz
Monday 4 January 2021 12:57, UK
Steph Curry's career-high 62 points propelled Golden State Warriors to a 137-122 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in San Francisco on Sunday.
Curry topped his previous high of 54 with two free throws with 2:23 to play. But he wasn't done. With the Warriors comfortably ahead, Curry bombed in consecutive 27-footers, the second of which came with 42.2 seconds left to cap his sensational night.
The 50-point night was the NBA's first of the season, while the 60-pointer was the first for a Warrior since Klay Thompson had 60 in 2016.
The last Warrior to record more than 62 points in a game was Rick Barry with 64 in 1974.
"Just a brilliant performance," Warriors coach Steve Kerr gushed afterward. "We've seen Steph do so many things. It's just a privilege to coach him. It really is. Not just because of his talent, but because of the way he carries himself and the way he leads. We are incredibly blessed as an organisation to have Steph leading the way."
Jayson Tatum hit a fallaway jumper with 2.9 seconds remaining to give the visiting Celtics a dramatic late win over the Pistons in Sunday's live Sky Sports encounter.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 31 points, and Tatum had 24 points, 12 assists, eight rebounds and two blocks. Marcus Smart had 17 points and 10 assists, Daniel Theis contributed 15 points and Tristan Thompson added 12 with 11 rebounds.
Jerami Grant had 22 points and six rebounds for the Pistons. Svi Mykhailiuk had 15 points, while Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Josh Jackson and Mason Plumlee added 13 points apiece.
LeBron James bagged 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists as the Lakers pulled away late to defeat the Grizzlies and make it three straight wins.
Anthony Davis had 17 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, Montrezl Harrell added 16 points and nine boards, and Wesley Matthews contributed 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4 of 6 3-pointers. Dennis Schroder added 11 points.
Kyle Anderson scored 18 points and Jonas Valanciunas chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies. Tyus Jones also scored 14, while Desmond Bane had 13.
Paul George scored 39 points as the Clippers held on to beat the Suns after nearly blowing a 31-point lead in a matchup between two of the Western Conferences top early-season teams.
George was 7 of 10 from 3-point range as Kawhi Leonard added 15 points, but shot 4 of 21 from the field, while Luke Kennard came off the bench to add 14 points.
"I had to be aggressive and stay in attack mode," George said. "It is not going to be everybody's night every night. I had to step up and help our best player on the team, help Kawhi. My job is to help him lead and help him score and give him a break from time to time."
At 5-2, the Clippers are now tied with the Suns and Los Angeles Lakers for the West lead.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 points to lead six Utah players in double-figure scoring as the visiting Jazz handed Spurs their fourth straight loss in the Alamo City.
The Jazz won their second straight game by taking control in the second quarter, leading by as many as 21 in that period and taking a 14-point edge into half-time. San Antonio never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.
Donovan Mitchell added 22 points for Utah, with Jordan Clarkson hitting for 18 off the bench, Mike Conley scoring 15, reserve Joe Ingles adding 13, and Royce O'Neale contributing 11 points and 11 rebounds. Rudy Gobert grabbed 16 rebounds for the Jazz, which garnered a 57-45 edge on the glass.
Zach LaVine led all scorers with 39 points and Coby White scored 21 of his 23 points after half-time to boost the host Bulls to their third win in four games.
LaVine shot 14 of 25 from the floor and was 8 of 9 from the free-throw line, outdueling the Mavericks' Jalen Brunson, who scored 31 points on 11-for-17 accuracy from the field.
Otto Porter Jr. (15 points) and Daniel Gafford (12) also finished in double figures for the Bulls. Wendell Carter Jr., White and Porter grabbed seven boards apiece.
Thomas Bryant converted a go-ahead dunk with 14.9 seconds remaining as the visiting Wizards beat the Nets in New York.
The Wizards constantly got second-chance opportunities but none was bigger than what unfolded on their final possession.
Following a timeout, Bradley Beal missed a step-back jumper over Kevin Durant with 24.4 seconds remaining but Bryant got the offensive rebound with 20.9 seconds left. Beal then regained possession, drove the baseline and when Brooklyn's Jeff Green jumped to provide help, he connected with Bryant, who easily converted the basket.
Bryant also posted a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds as he shot 9 of 12 from the field to help the Wizards win their second straight following an 0-5 start.
Nikola Jokic nailed 19 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists while Jamal Murray scored a season-high 36 points as the Nuggets eased to victory against the Timberwolves.
Facundo Campazzo had a career-high 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, JaMychal Green had 14 points and Paul Millsap added 12 for the Nuggets, who stopped a two-game skid and won on the road for the first time this season.
