The Detroit Pistons picked up their ninth consecutive victory on Friday to confirm themselves as leaders in the East, on a NBA Cup night in which Stephen Curry equaled a Michael Jordan record with another 49-point exhibition to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 109-108 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
The night also saw an outstanding performance from Karl-Anthony Towns, who destroyed the Miami Heat with 39 points, and James Harden, who recorded a triple-double of 41 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in the Los Angeles Clippers’ 143-137 double-overtime win over the Mavericks.
The absence of Cade Cunningham did not stop the Pistons, who won 114-105 at home against the Philadelphia 76ers with Javonte Green (21 points and nine rebounds) leading a group of six players in double figures.
The Pistons have a record of 11-2 and knocked off a Sixers team that came to Detroit without Joel Embiid or Paul George.
Behind the Pistons are Mike Brown’s New York Knicks (8-4), who returned to winning ways at Madison Square Garden after losing their unbeaten home record with a loss to the Orlando Magic.
Karl-Anthony Towns took it upon himself to reactivate the Knicks with an outstanding performance in the 140-132 win over the Miami Heat. He finished with 39 points and 11 rebounds. He connected on six of the 21 three-pointers from the New Yorkers, who shot 53 times from beyond the arc. Landry Shamet also joined in the fun with 36 points and six three-pointers off the bench.
The Heat lost their second consecutive game, despite 38 points from Norman Powell and 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists from Jaime Jaquez.
‘Thriller’ in Milwaukee
The Bucks had to sweat more than expected to beat the Charlotte Hornets at home. The visitors took them to overtime, but at that moment Doc Rivers’ team overwhelmed them with a resounding 18-5.Giannis Antetokounmpo sealed a double-double of 25 points and 18 assists, and Kyle Kuzma contributed 29 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals for the Bucks.
The Hornets gave up despite finishing with two players with 32 points, Kon Knueppel and Miles Bridges.
The Houston Rockets’ victory was much more comfortable, as they thrashed Tiago Splitter’s Portland Trail Blazers 140-116 with 30 points from Kevin Durant and 25 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists from Alperen Sengun.
Nets, without peace
The Brooklyn Nets, coached by Spaniard Jordi Fernandez, lost to the Orlando Magic (105-98) in their tenth game of the eleven played this season.
Without Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner led the Magic with 25 points. For the Nets, the best was Michael Porter Jr, with 27 points.
Curry equals Michael Jordan
Stephen Curry scored 49 points in the 109-108 victory over the San Antonio Spurs and, in doing so, equaled a Michael Jordan record: to reach at least 40 points in 44 games after the age of 30.
He made 16 of 26 field goals, 9 of 17 three-pointers and 8 of 8 free throws. It was his second consecutive game of more than 40 points against the Spurs (48 hours earlier he had scored 46), something that only Michael Jordan and LeBron James have also achieved.
The Spurs went on to win by 10 points in the final quarter, but Curry led the comeback. For San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Harden’s triple-double
Among the other results of the night, the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Sacramento Kings 124-110, with 35 points from Anthony Edwards.
The Clippers snapped their six-game losing streak with a hard-fought 143-137 victory in Dallas after double overtime.
Without Kawhi Leonard, James Harden signed a triple-double with 41 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, with 13 of 25 shooting from the field and six three-pointers. Ivica Zubac contributed 27 points and 15 rebounds for the Clippers.
In the Mavericks, Cooper Flagg, number one in the last Draft, was left with 16 points and five rebounds.
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