Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson scored 31 points apiece, Kevin Durant had 27, and the hot-shooting Golden State Warriors routed the host Denver Nuggets 142-111 on Tuesday night.
The Warriors set an NBA record for a first quarter by scoring 51 points. The previous record of 50 points was held by five teams, with the Phoenix Suns the last club to accomplish the feat on Nov. 10, 1990.
Overall, Golden State shot 60 percent from the floor, including 53.8 percent from 3-point range. The Warriors hit 10 3-pointers in the first period to set a franchise record and finished 21 of 39 from long distance. Curry finished 8 of 13 and Thompson 5 of 8 from 3-point range.
Malik Beasley scored 22 points and Jamal Murray had 21 for the Nuggets.
Hawks 142, Thunder 126
Trae Young scored 24 points and added 11 assists and six rebounds as Atlanta blew out visiting Oklahoma City. It was his 14th double-double of the season.
Atlanta’s John Collins made his first 11 field-goal attempts and finished the night 12-for-14 to score 26 points. Many of Young’s assists were turned into baskets by Alex Len, who scored 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Russell Westbrook had 31 points and 11 assists for the Thunder. Paul George added 24 points and eight rebounds.
76ers 149, Timberwolves 107
Joel Embiid scored 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lift host Philadelphia to an easy victory over Minnesota.
Embiid recorded his league-leading 37th double-double. In addition, Embiid posted his league-best 30th game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Ben Simmons had 20 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, while Jimmy Butler added 19 points in his first game against his former team. JJ Redick also had 15 for the Sixers, who made a franchise-record 21 3-pointers. Derrick Rose topped the Timberwolves with 15 points.
Bucks 124, Heat 86
Giannis Antetokounmpo posted his 13th career triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, leading host Milwaukee to a win over Miami. It was the largest margin of defeat for the Heat this season.
Antetokounmpo also had three steals in his third triple-double of the season. The leading scorers for the Bucks were Eric Bledsoe (17 points) and Malcolm Brogdon (16).
Milwaukee, which has the second-best record in the NBA at 31-12, improved its home mark to a league-leading 20-4.
Pacers 131, Suns 97
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 10 of his 20 points in the first 4:14 of the game as Indiana ran up a 19-point lead in the first quarter en route to a romp over visiting Phoenix.
Myles Turner, returning from a four-game absence caused by a sore right shoulder, scored 18 points and was among seven Pacers in double figures. Indiana won its second straight in the opener of a five-game homestand.
T.J. Warren had a team-high 18 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. 16 for the Suns, who were tipping off a four-game trip.
Lakers 107, Bulls 100
Lonzo Ball had 19 points and eight rebounds, and Los Angeles earned a victory against visiting Chicago, which took its eighth consecutive loss.
Lakers coach Luke Walton moved veterans Tyson Chandler and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope into the starting lineup at center and shooting guard, respectively, and moved JaVale McGee and Josh Hart to the bench. Caldwell-Pope scored 17 points, Kyle Kuzma had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Brandon Ingram had 16 points and nine rebounds.
Jabari Parker scored 18 points off the bench to lead the Bulls, who hadn’t lost eight in a row since a 10-game skid from Nov. 19-Dec. 6, 2017. Lauri Markkanen added 17 points, and Chandler Hutchison and Ryan Arcidiacono scored 12 apiece for Chicago.
—Field Level Media
