The Golden State Warriors took full advantage of a short-handed Indiana Pacers team on Monday night to extend their impressive win streak with ease on the road. Steph Curry finished with 26 points, 23 of which came in the first half, as the Warriors blew out the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, 132-100. The Pacers were playing their second full game since losing Victor Oladipo to a season-ending knee injury, and they have now dropped both of those games, including a close loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night. The win for Golden State extends their win streak to 11 in a row, which is the longest such streak in the NBA this season.
DeMarcus Cousins added a season-high 22 points for the Warriors, who have won at least 10 games in a row in six consecutive seasons. That has led head coach Steve Kerr to record over 300 victories, 301 to be exact, as the Warriors head coach, and they remain unbeaten since getting Cousins back form the Achilles injury. Curry got off to a hot start on Monday, making his first eight shots, including a buzzer-beater at halftime to give the Warriors a 21-point lead. He finished 10-of-13 from the floor with six rebounds, three assists, and two steals in just 27 minutes of playing time.
The Warriors had five players finish in double figures on the night, as they recorded 39 assists as a team in their 36th win. They kept pace with the Denver Nuggets, who held off the Grizzlies on Monday but still trail the Warriors by 1.5 games for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Pacers still hold the three seed in the East with a 32-17 record, but they gave up a season-high 40 points in the first quarter on Monday and never led on their home floor. They were also playing without Oladipo's backup, Tyreke Evans, due to a sore back, but hope to have him back when they visit the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Warriors will take their win streak back home to host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.
Another streak in the NBA did not quite last on Monday night, and that was the streak of the Brooklyn Nets, who fell on the road to the Boston Celtics, 112-104, at the TD Garden. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart scored 21 points apiece for the Celtics, who avenged a close four-point loss to the Warriors from Saturday night. That loss snapped a 10-game home win streak, but they are back on the right track on their home floor, and put an end to the Nets' winning streak, which was at six in a row.
The Celtics got plenty of contribution all over the floor, including Aron Baynes with 16 points, Marcus Morris with 15, while Al Horford and Terry Rozier each finished with 14. They also tied a franchise record with 16 blocked shots on the night, all to overcome playing without Kyrie Irving due to a sore left hip. Despite being down their starting point guard, the fifth-seeded Celtics earned their sixth win over the past seven games, and did so with an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull away for good. That gave the Celtics a 12-point advantage with over seven minutes to play, and they never trailed from there.
The Nets' win streak got them over .500 at 27-24 after Monday's defeat, as they leapfrogged to the sixth-place spot in the Eastern Conference. D'Angelo Russell led the Nets with 25 points in the loss on Monday, as they had won 19 of their past 24 games coming in to play. Shabazz Napier stayed hot as of late with 20 points, but two decisive runs hurt them against Boston. The Celtics also added a 14-2 run in the second quarter to give them a 10-point lead, which the Nets were able to bounce back from until the fourth. Brooklyn will be right back at it on their home floor Tuesday night against the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics will enjoy a day off before hosting the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.
DeMarcus Cousins added a season-high 22 points for the Warriors, who have won at least 10 games in a row in six consecutive seasons. That has led head coach Steve Kerr to record over 300 victories, 301 to be exact, as the Warriors head coach, and they remain unbeaten since getting Cousins back form the Achilles injury. Curry got off to a hot start on Monday, making his first eight shots, including a buzzer-beater at halftime to give the Warriors a 21-point lead. He finished 10-of-13 from the floor with six rebounds, three assists, and two steals in just 27 minutes of playing time.
The Warriors had five players finish in double figures on the night, as they recorded 39 assists as a team in their 36th win. They kept pace with the Denver Nuggets, who held off the Grizzlies on Monday but still trail the Warriors by 1.5 games for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Pacers still hold the three seed in the East with a 32-17 record, but they gave up a season-high 40 points in the first quarter on Monday and never led on their home floor. They were also playing without Oladipo's backup, Tyreke Evans, due to a sore back, but hope to have him back when they visit the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Warriors will take their win streak back home to host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.
Another streak in the NBA did not quite last on Monday night, and that was the streak of the Brooklyn Nets, who fell on the road to the Boston Celtics, 112-104, at the TD Garden. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart scored 21 points apiece for the Celtics, who avenged a close four-point loss to the Warriors from Saturday night. That loss snapped a 10-game home win streak, but they are back on the right track on their home floor, and put an end to the Nets' winning streak, which was at six in a row.
The Celtics got plenty of contribution all over the floor, including Aron Baynes with 16 points, Marcus Morris with 15, while Al Horford and Terry Rozier each finished with 14. They also tied a franchise record with 16 blocked shots on the night, all to overcome playing without Kyrie Irving due to a sore left hip. Despite being down their starting point guard, the fifth-seeded Celtics earned their sixth win over the past seven games, and did so with an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull away for good. That gave the Celtics a 12-point advantage with over seven minutes to play, and they never trailed from there.
The Nets' win streak got them over .500 at 27-24 after Monday's defeat, as they leapfrogged to the sixth-place spot in the Eastern Conference. D'Angelo Russell led the Nets with 25 points in the loss on Monday, as they had won 19 of their past 24 games coming in to play. Shabazz Napier stayed hot as of late with 20 points, but two decisive runs hurt them against Boston. The Celtics also added a 14-2 run in the second quarter to give them a 10-point lead, which the Nets were able to bounce back from until the fourth. Brooklyn will be right back at it on their home floor Tuesday night against the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics will enjoy a day off before hosting the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.
