(The Sports Xchange) – Highlights of Friday’s National Basketball Association games:
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Warriors 89, Cavaliers 83
Stephen Curry converted a pair of driving hoops in the final 80 seconds, lifting the Golden State Warriors to an 89-83 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in a Christmas Day rematch of the NBA Finals.
Power forward Draymond Green had 22 points and 15 rebounds, and backup guard Shaun Livingston saved eight of his season-best 16 points for a tight fourth quarter, leading the Warriors (28-1) to their 14th straight home win this season.
The Warriors’ 32-game home winning streak, stretching back to last season, ties the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls for the seventh-longest of all time.
Golden State won despite a 6-for-15 shooting effort from star guard Curry, who scored 19 points.
Forward LeBron James had 25 points on 10-for-26 shooting for the Cavs.
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Heat 94, Pelicans 88 (overtime)
Forward Chris Bosh scored a game-high 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Miami Heat to a 94-88 overtime home victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Bosh’s 30 points matched his season high.
Miami guard Dwyane Wade, who scored 19 points, improved to 10-1 on Christmas Day. That’s the best record in NBA history for any player who has played at least 10 Christmas games.
The Heat (17-11) have won seven straight Christmas games.
Pelicans forward Anthony Davis delivered a big performance with 29 points and 15 rebounds, but missed a long corner jumper just before the buzzer that could have won the game in regulation.
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Bulls 105, Thunder 96
Guard Jimmy Butler scored 23 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 105-96 road victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Butler shot 9 of 20 from the field to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Center Pau Gasol added 21 points and 13 boards as Bulls improved to 16-11.
Thunder forward Kevin Durant led all scorers with 29 points on 11 of 21 shooting. He also collected nine rebounds and seven assists.
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Rockets 88, Spurs 84
James Harden drilled consecutive three-pointers down the stretch and the Houston Rockets relied on their stifling defense to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 88-84 at Toyota Center.
Harden shot just 7-for-21 and missed his first three attempts from behind the arc before nailing back-to-back treys to push the Rockets (16-15) to an 84-75 lead and their seventh consecutive home victory.
Harden finished with 20 points and nine assists while center Dwight Howard chipped in 11 points and 12 rebounds as Houston snapped the Spurs’ seven-game winning streak.
Forwards Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge combined for 38 points and 16 rebounds for the Spurs (25-6). Center Tim Duncan added 13 points and 11 rebounds.
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Clippers 94, Lakers 84
Point guard Chris Paul had 23 points and six assists, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 94-84 at Staples Center.
Shooting guard J.J. Redick scored 14 points, forward Blake Griffin added 13 points and nine rebounds as the Clippers (17-13) defeated the Lakers for the eighth straight time.
Point guard D’Angelo Russell came off the bench to score a team-high 16 points with seven rebounds for the Lakers (5-25), who have dropped 10 of their last 12 games.
Forward Kobe Bryant finished with 12 points for the Lakers, while guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Julius Randle chipped in 11 points each.