Warriors Rally, Beat Pelicans
Stephen Curry scored a game-high 39 points as the Golden State Warriors rallied from 20 points down to pick up a big win over the New Orleans Pelicans 120-109. The Warriors moved into sixth place in the muddled Western Conference standings, just a game behind the fourth-place Phoenix Suns.
Curry also contributed eight rebounds, eight assists, and three steals, shooting 14-25 from the field with eight 3-pointers made. Curry has made multiple 3-pointers in each of his last 51 games, breaking a tie with himself for the second-longest such streak in NBA history. The record of 53 such games in a row is held by Curry (of course).
Curry’s final 3-pointer made was his 250th of the season. It’s the ninth time he’s reached that mark, four more such seasons than any other player in NBA history:
9 — Stephen Curry
5 — Buddy Hield
4 — James Harden
3 — Klay Thompson
Fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson scored 17 points with five 3-pointers made. Thompson established a new single-season career high for 3-pointers made with 278. He and Curry have each made at least 250 3-pointers in the same season three times, a feat no other duo in NBA history has accomplished even once.
Jordan Poole came off the bench for the Warriors to score 21 points in 29 minutes, making eight of his 15 attempts from the field. Poole has scored at least 20 points on 50% shooting from the field in each of his last three games.
The Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram scored a team-high 26 points in the loss, adding eight rebounds and seven assists. Ingram has scored at least 25 points in each of his last seven games, matching the longest such streak of his career. He’s averaging 29.4 PPG and 8.0 APG with shooting splits of 51/50/94 over that span.
Pesky Hornets Stop Thunder
The pesky Charlotte Hornets continue to disrupt the Western Conference playoff race, this time beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 137-134. The Hornets have picked up three wins over Western Conference playoff contenders (pretenders?) in the last five days.
P.J. Washington led the Hornets, scoring a career-high 43 points with six rebounds and five assists. Washington shot 16-24 from the field — including 5-9 from 3-point range — and made six of his seven free throws. Washington scored 22 of his points in the pivotal fourth quarter, one in which the Hornets outscored the Thunder 44-35.
The Hornets’ Kai Jones came off the bench to record his first career double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds in just 22 minutes played. Jones made all five of his shots from the field.
The Thunder had three players score at least 30 points in the loss: Isaiah Joe (career-high 33 points), Josh Giddey (career-high 31), and Jalen Williams (31). It’s just the second time in NBA history a team has had three players age 23 years or younger each score at least 30 points in the same game. The first trio to accomplish the feat was the Thunder’s Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden on March 7, 2012.
Joe (11-18 FG), Giddey (14-22), and Williams (11-16) each shot at least 60% from the field. The last team to have three players each score at least 30 points with a field goal percentage of 60% in the same game was the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 8, 1991 (Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin).
Hawks Back to .500 (Again)
Dejounte Murray scored 29 points on 11-22 shooting from the field as the Atlanta Hawks won a pivotal game versus the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-118. The up-and-down Hawks improved to 38-38 with the win. They have been within one game of .500 after each of their last 30 games, the longest such streak in NBA history by five games.
Murray’s backcourt mate, Trae Young shot poorly from the field (4-15, 26.7%), but scored 16 points and distributed a game-high 10 assists. Young has 37 points-assists double-doubles this season, the most such games in the NBA.
The Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 44 points in the loss. It’s the 10th time Mitchell has scored at least 40 points in a game this season, tying LeBron James (2005-06) for the most such games in a single season in franchise history.
Cavaliers center Evan Mobley scored 20 points on 10-13 shooting from the field, adding 15 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks. Mobley is just the second player in franchise history to record 20-point, 15-rebound, 5-assist game with a field goal percentage of at least 75%, joining Brad Daugherty (Feb. 21, 1992).
Quick Hitters
Some other notes from around the NBA:
Kristaps Porzingis recorded his 20th double-double of the season, producing game highs of 32 points and 13 rebounds as the Washington Wizards blew out the Boston Celtics 130-111. Porzingis shot 14-21 from the field (including 3-5 from 3-point range) and also dished out six assists. The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum recorded team highs of 28 points, nine rebounds, and five assists (tied) in the loss.
Desmond Bane scored a game-high 31 points in the Memphis Grizzlies’ 113-108 victory over the Orlando Magic. The Grizzlies have won 10 of their last 11 games, including the last seven in a row. Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. tallied 16 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. Jackson Jr. has recorded 177 blocks this season, tying the franchise single-season mark he set in 2021-22. Rookie Paolo Banchero recorded 24 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists for the Magic. It’s the fifth time Banchero has recorded at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a game. No other rookie has produced even one such game this season.
Scottie Barnes scored 22 points on 10-16 shooting from the field, adding a career-high 12 assists, seven rebounds, and three steals as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Miami Heat 106-92. The Raptors got back to .500 for the season, squaring their record at 38-38. Pascal Siakam scored a team-high 26 points for the Raptors, also contributing nine rebounds and five assists. The Heat’s Tyler Herro scored a game-high 33 points in the loss.