(The Sports Xchange) –Stephen Curry escaped a suspension from the league on Monday night, then led the Golden State Warriors to a 133-103 victory over the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
Curry had to wait until Monday afternoon to get a verdict from the NBA office whether he would be allowed to play. During Golden State’s 10-point loss at Memphis on Saturday, he lost his cool and chucked his mouthpiece in the direction of the referee.
Once he learned he would get only a fine, the two-time league MVP finished with a game-high 29 points. He made up for cold 3-point shooting (2 of 10) by going 13 of 13 from the free-throw line to help the Warriors improve to 2-2 on the season.
Kevin Durant finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Klay Thompson added 21 points for Golden State. Draymond Green had 10 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Grizzlies 98, Rockets 90
Mike Conley keyed a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to help Memphis rally for a victory over Houston.
With the Rockets leading 88-78 just past the midpoint of the fourth quarter, Conley sandwiched two 3-pointers around a three-point play from James Ennis III on which Conley provided the assists. The second Conley trey matched the Grizzlies’ biggest lead at 94-90. Memphis closed the game on a 20-2 run.
Marc Gasol paced the Grizzles (3-0) with 26 points. Conley added 17 points and four assists. Ennis chipped in a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards. Eric Gordon led Houston with 27 points and added seven assists. Backcourt partner James Harden posted 22 points and eight assists but also registered a game-high seven turnovers.
Spurs 101, Raptors 97
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 20 points and Dejounte Murray added 16 points and 15 rebounds as San Antonio outlasted Toronto to remain unbeaten.
The score was tied at 85 with 5:55 to play before the Spurs used a Danny Green 3-pointer, two Kyle Anderson baskets and a Green turnaround hook shot to forge a 9-0 run that staked them to a 94-85 lead with 3:08 left.
Green had 17 points for San Antonio, which played again without injured forward Kawhi Leonard and point guard Tony Parker. DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors and all scorers with 28 points. Serge Ibaka and C.J. Miles added 13 points each. Jakob Poeltl had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Toronto.
Heat 104, Hawks 93
Josh Richardson scored eight of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, and Wayne Ellington scored 19 of his 20 in the second quarter to lead Miami past Atlanta.
Richardson, in his third year in the NBA, put up just his fourth career game of 20 or more points. He was pivotal to the Heat’s effort in the fourth quarter, scoring on a layup, a mid-range jumper and four free throws.
Ellington made 6 of 7 3-point tries in the second quarter, tying Brian Shaw for a franchise record. In 1992-93, Shaw made six 3-pointers in a quarter and 10 for the game. Atlanta was led by Kent Bazemore (20 points), Taurean Prince (20 points) and John Collins (14 points, 11 rebounds).
76ers 97, Pistons 86
Ben Simmons posted a triple-double in his fourth career game, and Philadelphia collected its first win of the season by downing Detroit.
Simmons, the top pick in the 2016 draft, piled up 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. He missed all of last season after undergoing foot surgery but has double-doubles in each of his first four games. Joel Embiid powered for 30 points and nine rebounds, and Robert Covington added 13 points for Philadelphia.
Reggie Jackson led Detroit with 16 points and seven assists, and he added six rebounds. Avery Bradley supplied 15 points for the Pistons, and Andre Drummond contributed 14 points with 14 rebounds.
Bucks 103, Hornets 94
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and Chris Middleton added 20 to lead Milwaukee to a victory over Charlotte.
Antetokounmpo surpassed 30 points for the fourth time in four games this season. With 147 combined points in those games, he passed Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — who scored 146 to open the 1972-73 season — for the most points through four games in franchise history.
Mirza Teletovic hit five 3-pointers to finish with 15 points as Milwaukee went 9 of 26 from long distance and shot 47.1 percent overall. Frank Kaminsky hit three of his four 3-point shots and led Charlotte with 18 points off the bench. Jeremy Lamb added 17 points, and Kemba Walker and former Bucks player Johnny O’Bryant finished with 15 and 14, respectively.
Wizards 109, Nuggets 104
Bradley Beal scored 20 points, John Wall had 19 points and 12 assists, and Washington beat Denver.
Otto Porter Jr. added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the unbeaten Wizards, who began their four-game Western Conference road trip with a solid performance. All five Washington starters scored in double figures.
Nikola Jokic broke out with 29 points and nine rebounds, and Paul Millsap had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Nuggets, who struggled with ball control. Denver committed 24 turnovers — eight by Jokic — and lost despite outshooting Washington 48.8 percent to 44 percent.
Suns 117, Kings 115
Marquese Chriss scored 19 points, and Mike James put Phoenix ahead to stay on a basket with 14.1 seconds left as the Suns overcame two tumultuous days to hang on for their first win.
The Suns led by as many as 22 points and were up by 11 with 3:08 to play in the game. However, five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter by Sacramento’s Garrett Temple keyed a 14-3 run, and Kings rookie De’Aaron Fox tied the game at 112 on an 8-foot floater with 58 seconds left.
James, who had 18 points and seven assists in his first start in place of the departing Eric Bledsoe, hit a 5-foot bank shot to give the Suns the lead for good. The win came a day after Earl Watson was fired as head coach and hours after Bledsoe was sent home after tweeting that he no longer wanted to play for the Suns.
