Warriors avenge loss to Bucks; Pistons win in quadruple OT

LOS ANGELES, USA – The Golden State Warriors avenged their only defeat of the NBA season on Friday, rallying for a 121-112 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Six nights after the Bucks ended the Warriors’ season-opening winning streak at 24 games, Milwaukee threatened to hand Golden State a first defeat on their home floor in Oakland, California, since last January.

But shooting guard Klay Thompson had a game-high 27 points and Stephen Curry added 26 along with 10 rebounds and 9 assists as the Warriors notched their 30th straight regular-season home win and their 12th this season.

The score was knotted at 108-108 when Curry drove for a basket with 2:16 to play and then added two free throws.

Andre Iguodala drained a 3-pointer to give Golden State their biggest lead of the game at 115-108 with 1:21 remaining.

Point guard Michael Carter-Williams had 24 points for the Bucks, who led by as many as 15 in the third quarter but endured their fifth defeat in their last 6 starts.

Milwaukee led 100-89 5 minutes into the final period.

But Warriors forward Draymond Green scored 8 consecutive points to ignite a surge that saw Golden State pull level at 100-100 with 6:08 to play.

The hosts seized the lead for the first time since the first quarter when Festus Ezeli’s dunk with 5:11 to go made it 103-102.

Bucks tied it 3 times after that, but never led again.

The San Antonio Spurs, who have labored quietly in the shadow of the Warriors building the second-best record in the league, improved to 15-0 at home this season with a 115-107 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

In their first meeting since the Clippers eliminated the Spurs in a sensational first-round playoff duel last season, San Antonio produced an 11-0 scoring run to open the fourth quarter and held on for the victory.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 26 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead San Antonio, who improved to 23-5.

Veteran French point guard Tony Parker scored 21 points for the Spurs. Ten of those came in the fourth quarter, including a three-pointer that closed the 11-point run and gave San Antonio a 96-88 lead with 9:17 to play.

Forward Kawhi Leonard added 19 points, center Tim Duncan 14 and forward Danny Green 10.

Quadruple-overtime epic

In Chicago, the Detroit Pistons outlasted the Bulls 147-144 in a rare quadruple overtime marathon.

It was just the eighth quadruple overtime contest since the NBA-ABA merger in the 1970s, and Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy called the experience “excruciating.”

“It was an epic game,” Van Gundy said. “You don’t play too many 4-overtime ones. I’ve never been in one. It was incredible, but it’s only fun if you’re on our end of it at the end. It’s excruciating if you’re on their end of it, and it’s excruciating while you’re going through it.”

Andre Drummond led the Pistons with 33 points and 21 rebounds before fouling. Reggie Jackson added 31 points and 13 assists for Detroit.

Jimmy Butler’s career high of 43 points led Chicago, with Derrick Rose adding a season-high 34 points while taking a career-high 34 shots from the floor.

Chicago’s Spanish center Pau Gasol added 30 points and 15 rebounds, but the Bulls were unable to complete their first 5-0 homestand since 2005.

Knicks beat 76ers

The New York Knicks handed the Philadelphia 76ers their 27th defeat of the season, a solid 20-point performance from rookie Jahlil Okafor proving too little for the one-win Sixers.

Arron Afflalo had 22 points and seven assists as the Knicks won their third straight.

Rising star Kristaps Porzingis didn’t win the duel of top rookies with Okafor, but he finished with 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, a contribution that had Knicks coach Derek Fisher saying the Knicks are “a better team when he’s on the floor.”

The 76ers took Okafor at number 3 overall in this year’s draft, with the Knicks selecting Latvia’s Porzingis fourth.

“It’s exciting to go up against the guys who I went through the draft process with,” Porzingis said. “It’s a chance to check yourself.” – Rappler.com