Warriors on track for NBA win record

Source:AFP Published: 2016-3-31 23:18:01

Spurs beat Pelicans 100-92 to keep perfect home slate


Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (front) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry scramble for a loose ball on Wednesday in Salt Lake City, Utah. Photo: IC

The Golden State Warriors kept their bid for a record-setting NBA regular season on track on Wednesday with a 103-96 overtime victory over the Utah Jazz.

Stephen Curry scored 31 points and the Warriors overcame a double-digit, second-half deficit to notch a club record 68th win of the season. They have lost only seven games.

Klay Thompson forced overtime with a three-pointer with 15 seconds left in regulation.

He scored 18 points to help the Warriors edge closer to the NBA record 72 regular-season victories posted by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

Golden State need five wins in their last seven games to surpass the record. They finish out the season with home games against Boston, Portland, Minnesota, San Antonio and Memphis, and road games at Memphis and San Antonio.

"I've said many times over the years that I didn't think that record would be broken, and it still may not be," said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who played on that 1995-96 Chicago team. "We have a tough finish still to go in the last games.

"To be part of both situations is ­unreal."

Gordon Hayward scored 21 points and Rodney Hood added 20 points for the Jazz, who had won eight of 10 games.

The Nuggets are now tied with the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks in a battle for the last two Western ­Conference playoff berths.

The Jazz were hurt by their performance from the free-throw line, making just 13 of 29 from the stripe.

Hayward gave the hosts an early lead in overtime, but Utah's offense then ­succumbed under pressure.

Curry scored six straight points in overtime and Draymond Green added a slam dunk for a 101-93 lead.

While the Warriors continued to close in on the regular-season wins record, the San Antonio Spurs broke one mark set by that Michael Jordan-led Bulls team of 1995-96 with their 38th straight home win of the season without a defeat.

Argentine veteran Manu Ginobili scored 20 points, including nine in the fourth quarter to help the Spurs finish off a 100-92 triumph over the injury-depleted New Orleans Pelicans.

The Spurs took control of the contest with a 22-9 scoring run spanning the end of the second quarter and first six minutes of the third.

The Spurs improved to 63-13, matching a franchise record for wins in a ­season.

The Spurs have won 47 straight regular-­season games in San Antonio dating back to last year, the second-­longest home winning streak ever ­behind the continuing 54-game home win streak of the Warriors.

Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green added 16 points each for the Spurs. LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in 11 points. Of 13 players who saw action for the Spurs, 12 of them scored. New Orleans, meanwhile, had just nine players in uniform. Seven of them scored in double figures, led by the 18 points of Alexis Ajinca.



Posted in: Basketball

blog comments powered by Disqus