CLEVELAND – Stephen Curry scored 33 points — topping 30 for a career-best ninth consecutive game — and the Golden State Warriors pulled away for a 119-101 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
Curry, who made an NBA-record 29 3-pointers over the previous three games, is averaging 38.2 points during his torrid run. He missed his first eight attempts beyond the arc, finishing 4 of 13, and had five assists in leading Golden State to its season-high fourth straight win.
Recommended Videos
“He’s been incredible lately, even by Steph standards,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s the result of a lifetime of training and hard work, but he just does it night after night. We’re in a very good place right now. The guys feel good about themselves.”
Andrew Wiggins scored 23 points, Juan Toscano-Anderson had 20 and Draymond Green added five points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Golden State, which is ninth in the West. The Warriors led by 18 points in the second quarter and were up 22 in the fourth.
“I just try to bring the team joy and a competitive fire,” Curry said. “We’ve got a ways to go, but developing different ways to win games is a good thing.”
“It’s amazing the way Curry plays,” Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen said, shaking his head in disbelief. “He literally makes anything from half-court to the baseline.”
Collin Sexton scored 30 points in his return from a two-game absence with a strained groin and Allen had 17 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland. Darius Garland added 20 points and seven assists.
The Cavaliers have lost 16 of their last 17 to the Warriors with the lone win coming in Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals — the third of their unprecedented four straight matchups in the championship series.
“Steph and Draymond are so good and with their experience, they’re just deadly,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “And the other guys play their role to a ‘T.’”
Golden State absorbed a major hit earlier in the day when rookie center James Wiseman was ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing right knee surgery. The No. 2 overall pick suffered a meniscal tear on April 10 against Houston.
“It’s tough because he was headed in the right direction, but I told him he needs to think big picture,” Curry said. “He can use this to try and turn a negative into a positive.”
The Warriors checked into their downtown hotel at 3:30 a.m. after winning 147-109 in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. The Cavaliers also were playing back-to-back following a 103-90 victory in Charlotte.
TIP-INS
Warriors: G Kelly Oubre Jr. (left wrist soreness) missed his sixth consecutive game and will be re-evaluated Friday. Kerr said Oubre will perform some basketball drills before being examined. … Wiggins was the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft by Cleveland, but was traded to Minnesota for F Kevin Love two months later. … Assistant coach Mike Brown piloted the Cavaliers’ to their first NBA Finals appearance in 2007.
Cavaliers: G Damyean Dotson (left knee soreness) and G Dylan Windler (left knee soreness) were inactive. Dotson sat out his third straight game, while Windler last played on March 29. … Rookie F Lamar Stevens had his two-way contract converted to a multi-year pact. Stevens went undrafted after playing four seasons at Penn State … F Mfiondu Kabengele is on a 10-day contract that expires on April 19.
BACKUP PLAN
Wiseman ranks fifth among NBA rookies with an 11.5 scoring average and is third in rebounding at 5.8, but Kerr said Golden State doesn’t have to sign a center to replace him. “Adding size just for the sake of adding size isn’t something that you look to do,” Kerr said. “We’re going to play small-ball regardless. That’s the type of team we’ve been for a long time.” Wiseman is expected to return for the start of next season.
UP NEXT
Warriors: At Boston on Saturday for the second game on a season-high, five-game road trip that ends on April 21 at Washington.
Cavaliers: At Chicago on Saturday. The Central Division foes will meet twice in a five-day span, completing the home-and-home set on April 21.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports