IMAGE: Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the net against Philadelphia 76ers guard De’Anthony Melton (8) during the fourth quarter of their NBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, on Saturday. Photograph: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Jordan Poole saved 19 of his team-high 33 points for the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry broke a late tie with two of his 29, and the Golden State Warriors overcame a 46-point performance by Joel Embiid to topple the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 120-112 on Friday night in San Francisco.
Klay Thompson chipped in with 21 points for the Warriors, who won their third straight overall and ninth in a row at home to maintain their No. 6 position in the Western Conference playoff race.
Tobias Harris had 23 points and Tyrese Maxey 21 for the 76ers, who led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter despite the absence of James Harden, out with a sore Achilles.
The loss, Philadelphia’s second in their last 11 games, cost them a game in their battle with the Boston Celtics for the No. 2 spot in the East.
Kings 135, Suns 127
Domantas Sabonis finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, Kevin Huerter scored a team-high 29 points, and host Sacramento weathered 62 combined points from Devin Booker and Terrence Ross to knock off Phoenix.
Sacramento withstood a 57.1 percent shooting first half for Phoenix, as the Suns led by as many as 14 points before intermission. A 23-9 run in the first 5:59 out of the locker room quickly flipped the game in the Kings’ favor. Huerter’s 3-pointer broke a 76-76 tie and gave Sacramento a lead it never relinquished the rest of the way.
Booker finished with 32 points, 14 in the fourth quarter, and Ross’s 30 points marked a season high. The Kings extended their lead over Phoenix for third place in the Western Conference to six games, while the Suns slid to fifth, a half-game behind the Los Angeles Clippers.
Bucks 144, Jazz 116
Grayson Allen torched his former team for 25 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 with 11 assists to lead Milwaukee’s thumping of short-handed Utah in Salt Lake City.
Allen, drafted 21st overall by Utah in 2018, hit three quick 3-pointers and scored the first 11 points of the game as the Bucks led the whole way. Pat Connaughton netted 22 points, Jrue Holiday added 18 points and nine assists and Brook Lopez totaled 17 points, 14 boards and seven blocks for the NBA-leading Bucks, who have won three straight.
Italian rookie Simone Fontecchio led Utah with 26 points, while Kelly Olynyk chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds. The Jazz played without injured starters Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton.
Wizards 136, Spurs 124
Corey Kispert scored 26 points and Deni Avdija added 21 points and 11 rebounds for host Washington, which was at its best in the fourth quarter while beating San Antonio.
The Wizards led by a point after a back-and-forth third quarter but took charge for good with a 22-8 run over the first 5 1/2 minutes of the final period.
Keldon Johnson led all scorers with 30 points for the Spurs.
Celtics 120, Pacers 95
Boston overcame the return of Indiana point guard Tyrese Haliburton to post a home victory.
Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 34 points and had seven rebounds for the Celtics, who made 18 3-pointers — 14 more than the Pacers.
Haliburton and Myles Turner each scored 20 points to lead Indiana, which trailed by 29 in the fourth quarter.
Grizzlies 151, Rockets 114
Luke Kennard made a career-high 10 3-pointers, Desmond Bane scored 25 points and Memphis rolled past visiting Houston.
The Grizzlies extended their winning streak to five games and have won eight of nine. Kennard finished with 30 points. Memphis made a franchise-record 25 3-pointers.
Jabari Smith Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. scored 20 points apiece for Houston. Smith added eight rebounds while Porter had six rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Rookie Tari Eason matched his career high of 21 points.
Hornets 117, Mavericks 109
P J Washington scored 28 points and Gordon Hayward had 25 as short-handed Charlotte dealt a devastating blow to host Dallas’ postseason hopes.
The Hornets, who had lost five of their previous six games, shot 48.3 percent from the field to shake off recent offensive doldrums. Charlotte received a boost from the return of rookie center Mark Williams, who missed time with a thumb injury but provided 13 points and eight rebounds. Dennis Smith Jr. (illness), who also left Thursday night’s game, had 13 points and nine assists.
Luka Doncic scored 34 points to go with 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Mavericks. Guard Kyrie Irving was back after missing Wednesday night’s loss to Golden State with a foot injury, supplying 18 points. Dwight Powell and Christian Wood had 14 points each.
Lakers 116, Thunder 111
Anthony Davis scored 15 of his 37 points in the first quarter and added 15 rebounds as Los Angeles got off to a fast start and held on for a victory over visiting Oklahoma City.
The Lakers registered their third consecutive win and reached .500 for the first time this season. Dennis Schroder scored 21 points and Lonnie Walker IV added 20 for the Lakers, who defeated the Thunder for the second time this month and moved one game ahead of Oklahoma City in the Western Conference standings.
Josh Giddey scored 27 points and grabbed 17 rebounds and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also had 27 points for the Thunder, who dropped consecutive games for the first time since losing five in a row from Feb. 23-March 1.
Raptors 118, Pistons 97
Pascal Siakam compiled 32 points, nine assists and five rebounds as host Toronto defeated Detroit.
Chris Boucher added 19 points off the bench for the Raptors, who have split the first two games of a four-game homestand.
Jaden Ivey had 20 points and eight assists for the Pistons, who have lost 16 of their past 17 games.
Bulls 124, Trail Blazers 96
Zach LaVine recorded 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting and had eight assists to lead hot-shooting Chicago to a convincing victory over host Portland.
Nikola Vucevic added 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting and collected 15 rebounds for Chicago, which was without leading scorer DeMar DeRozan (quadriceps). Coby White had 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting and registered nine assists as the Bulls made 57.1 percent of their shots, including a torrid 17 of 28 from 3-point range.
Shaedon Sharpe scored 24 points for Portland, which played without Damian Lillard (calf) and fellow starters Jusuf Nurkic (knee), Jerami Grant (quadriceps) and Anfernee Simons (foot). Portland (32-41) is 3 1/2 games out of the last play-in spot in the Western Conference.
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