Stephen Curry took the Golden State Warriors’ five-game losing streak into his own hands Monday night, exploding for a season-high 47 points in a come-from-behind, 116-113 victory over the Sacramento Kings in San Francisco.
Returning home from a trip in which they lost all five games, the Warriors watched the rival Kings use 14 3-pointers to lead most of the way, including 100-92 after a Kevin Huerter 30-footer with 6:17 to play.
But Curry saved 14 of his points for a game-ending, 24-13 run, including a 3-pointer that gave Golden State the lead for good at 110-107 with 1:24 to go.
Curry added a short jumper, an assist on a Draymond Green dunk and two free throws with 1.3 seconds remaining that accounted for the final margin of victory.
The Kings, who did not make a 3-pointer after Huerter’s success with 6:17 to go, had a desperation shot at a tie, but Huerter couldn’t connect on a 33-footer, sending Sacramento to just its second defeat in its last five games.
Curry’s 40-point game was the 57th of his career. He made 17 of his 24 shots, including seven of his 12 3-point attempts on a night when the Warriors matched the Kings’ 14 successes from beyond the arc.
Curry also found time for eight rebounds and a game-high eight assists.
Andrew Wiggins, who had a pair of 3-pointers in Golden State’s late run, backed Curry with 25 points, while Klay Thompson finished with 16 and Green 11.
Wiggins completed a double-double with 10 rebounds, while Kevon Looney snatched a team-high 13 boards.
Making 10 of 12 free throws, De’Aaron Fox paced Sacramento with 28 points, while Domantas Sabonis had a double-double with 19 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. They shared team-high assist honors with six apiece.
Malik Monk had 24 points off the bench for the Kings, while Davion Mitchell added 12 and Huerter 11.
The Kings used 10 3-pointers, including three from Monk, to build a 67-55 halftime lead. Fox had 18 of his 28 points in the half, Monk 17 of his 24.
Curry countered with four 3-pointers of his own in the first 24 minutes, but his teammates combined to go just 1-for-11 from beyond the arc. The Kings had outscored the Warriors 30-15 on threes at that point.
Jazz 139 - 116 Lakers
Lauri Markkanen scored 23 points and Jordan Clarkson fired in 22 as the Utah Jazz beat the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers 139-116 Monday night in Salt Lake City.
Collin Sexton contributed 17 points while Mike Conley added 14 points and 12 assists as the Jazz won their third straight game. Utah, which had seven score in double digits, defeated the Los Angeles Clippers on the road Sunday night 110-102 before returning home.
Anthony Davis netted a game-high 29 points and Russell Westbrook added 22 for the Lakers, who lost their third consecutive outing. Los Angeles played without three usual starters, including LeBron James, who sat out due to left foot soreness. It was the first time James missed a game this season.
Utah, by earning its second victory over the Lakers in four nights, grabbed sole possession of the top spot in the Western Conference at 9-3. The Jazz also improved their home record to 5-0.
Clarkson got the Jazz off to a hot start, scorching the nets for 15 points in the first quarter as Utah seized a 42-34 lead. The Jazz shot 68.4 percent in the opening period en route to hitting 56.4 percent for the night.
Westbrook kept the Lakers within striking distance in the first half, when he scored 18 points and helped trim the Jazz’s double-digit lead down to 76-71 heading into halftime. Davis had 19 points before the break, while Clarkson topped Utah with 17.
Utah also scored 75 points in the opening half during the teams’ Friday meeting in Los Angeles.
The Jazz quickly took a 10-point lead in the second half after long jumpers by Markkanen and Malik Beasley (14 points). Davis brought the Lakers within 92-85 with a three-point play, but the Jazz then dominated.
Former Laker Talen Horton-Tucker (15 points) emphatically capped off a 16-5 run with a thunderous dunk that gave the Jazz their biggest lead at the point, 108-90, late in the third quarter.
The Lakers responded with six straight, but Utah finished the quarter on a 7-2 spurt, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Rudy Gay for an impressive 115 points through three quarters.
Patrick Beverley (non-COVID illness) and Lonnie Walker IV (non-COVID illness) also missed the game for the Lakers, who dropped to 0-4 on the road.
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