The Warriors flexed its muscles on the road Friday, beating the Pistons 102-98 in Detroit.
Playing without Stephen Curry for the second straight game, as he continues to rehab an ankle injury, Kevin Durant stepped up with 36 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks.
Golden State has dominated the third quarter all season, and Friday proved more of the same. Down four at the break, the Warriors charged back with a 31-17 third quarter led by Klay Thompson and Durant.
"I liked our focus level to start the game, for 48 minutes we were focused," Durant said after the game, via NBA.com . "We had a little slippage at the end, but it’s an erratic game and stuff like that can happen. We have to give them credit for staying in it, but I think our focus level was the main thing throughout this whole trip—especially with so much that went on.
"Just proud of the effort that we gave from the coaches all the way down to the players.”
The Pistons, once third in the Eastern Conference, have now lost five straight games — the last four all by within five points.
STUD OF THE NIGHT
Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge scored 27 points with 10 rebounds in a 105-102 home victory over the Celtics. San Antonio outscored Boston 28-20 in the fourth quarter, and Aldridge was a factor late on both ends of the court.
The Hornets lost 119-111 in overtime to the Bulls, but center Dwight Howard scored 25 points while hauling in 20 rebounds with six blocked shots. Howard became the first player in Bobcats/Hornets history with 25 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks in a game. He also became the oldest player to record a 20-20 game on his birthday (32).
DUD OF THE NIGHT
Cavaliers small forward Jae Crowder scored just six points on 1-of-7 shooting in a 106-102 loss to the Pacers. The loss snapped Cleveland's 13-game winning streak, and Crowder hasn't really provided much of an impact since joining from Boston.
HIGHLIGHT
The Raptors have been quiet this season, but DeMar DeRozan knows how to fill it up:
WHAT'S NEXT
76ers (13-11) at Cavaliers (18-8) LeBron James and Ben Simmons, two of the league's most dangerous triple-double threats, square off in a matchup between two Eastern Conference contenders. Cleveland has finally figured things out, and 76ers star center Joel Embiid (rest) has already been ruled out of Saturday night's game.
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