LOS ANGELES, USA – Kevin Durant scored 23 points as the Golden State Warriors kept the pressure on the Denver Nuggets with a 110-93 defeat of the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, December 17.
Durant was one of 5 Warriors players to make double figures as the depth of the NBA champions proved too much for Memphis at Oakland’s Oracle Arena.
Stephen Curry had 20 points and Klay Thompson 16 in a win which left the Warriors with a record of 21-10, just behind Western Conference leaders Denver who are 20-9.
Curry’s points haul took him past 15,000 for his career, making him the fifth player in Warriors franchise history to reach the milestone.
“It’s a really cool milestone, an unbelievable journey so far,” Curry said. “But it’s just more motivation to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m blessed to play this game, with great team-mates. We can all accomplish great things if we stay in the moment.”
Stephen Curry becomes 5th player in @warriors history to reach 15,000 career regular season points! pic.twitter.com/1ds8Vu3CEL
— NBA (@NBA) December 18, 2018
Memphis’ scoring was led from the bench by former Warrior Omri Casspi, who finished with 20 points and was a constant threat to his ex-teammates.
Harden fires Rockets
In Houston, James Harden exploded for 47 points as the Rockets overpowered the Utah Jazz 102-97 to extend their winning streak to four games.
Reigning NBA MVP Harden produced a dazzling display of scoring to delight the home fans at the Toyota Center with a win that took the Rockets above .500 for the season.
Houston are now 15-14 for the season while Utah have slipped to 14-17, one place off the bottom in the Western Conference.
Harden’s virtuoso display included 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Three other Houston players made double figures, with P.J. Tucker finishing with 16 points and Eric Gordon adding 12 points.
Clint Capela hauled down 14 rebounds to dominate the boards.
But it was Harden’s eye-catching display that dominated the postgame discussion, with coach Mike D’Antoni leading the plaudits.
Harden has averaged just over 38 points per game in his last 5 games.
“This level, the last 3 or 4 games are as good as he ever played,” D’Antoni said.
“It’s just the determination that he has. He cares. Every big shot. Every big play. This is an MVP level. He’s been that way the past week and for the right reasons. He’s been playing this way for a little bit.”
Donovan Mitchell led the Utah scoring with 23 points while Rudy Gobert finished with 18 points. – Rappler.com
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