Warriors Take Care of Harden-Less Rockets
The Golden State Warriors have dominated on the road this season, and continued that success on Thursday by taking advantage of the Houston Rockets missing their star. Draymond Green had a triple-double, while Steph Curry led the Warriors with 29 points in a 124-114 win at the Toyota Center. Green finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season and 21st of his career, which sets a franchise record. Tom Gola held the previous record with 20 of them. Klay Thompson added 28 points in what was the Warriors' eighth consecutive win on the road. They now lead the league with a 16-3 record away from home. The Rockets got 30 points from Eric Gordon in a losing effort and recently-acquired Gerald Green scored 29 off the bench, which included a career-high eight three-pointers. Harden missed his second straight game due to a groin injury and is expected to miss another two weeks for the West's second-best team. They will hit the road to battle the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night, while the Warriors remain off until Saturday afternoon when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers.
Westbrook, Thunder Lead Thunder to Another LA Win
Russell Westbrook and Paul George led the way on Thursday night for a second straight victory in Los Angeles for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook had a triple-double, while George led the scoring in his hometown with 31 points in a 127-117 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. This comes one night after they crushed the Lakers in that same stadium, as PG13 put on a show in front of his home crowd, which he is rumored to be joining as a free agent next season. Westbrook's triple-double was his 13th of the season, as he finished with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, while Carmelo Anthony added 22 points in the win. After an 8-12 start, the Thunder have won eight of their past 10 games, and now sit at 22-17 on the season. The Clippers saw their four-game win streak come to an end, despite DeAndre Jordan's season-high 26 points and 17 rebounds. Lou Williams had 26 points and Blake Griffin finished with 24 in Los Angeles's 20th loss of the season. OKC will be in Phoenix next on their road trip against the Suns on Sunday night. Meanwhile, the Clippers stay home to host the Warriors on Saturday.
Arizona State Suffers Second Straight Loss
When the Arizona State Sun Devils came out of nowhere as a top-5 team, many wondered if it was a fluke, and their recent results may prove that to be correct. Namon Wright had 19 points on Thursday night to help the Colorado Buffaloes hand the Sun Devils their second straight loss in overtime, 90-81. Wright scored five points in the extra period, as the Buffaloes earned their first Pac-12 win of the season, despite falling behind, 11-0, in the opening minutes of the contest. They took a six-point lead with just over a minute left in regulation, but the Sun Devils came back as Mickey Mitchell tied the game with a dunk in the final five seconds to force overtime. Colorado outscored Arizona State, 16-7, in the final five minutes, They made six straight free throws to seal the victory, which was the highest-ranked team that Colorado has defeated since a win over No. 3 Texas on February 4th, 2003. The win also snapped a three-game losing streak for the Buffaloes, who got 18 points from George King. Tra Holder had 24 points for Arizona State, whose two-game losing streak comes after a 12-game win streak. Colorado is already on a better foot than last season, where they started 0-7 in conference play. They will host the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday afternoon, while Arizona State visits Utah on Sunday night.
The Golden State Warriors have dominated on the road this season, and continued that success on Thursday by taking advantage of the Houston Rockets missing their star. Draymond Green had a triple-double, while Steph Curry led the Warriors with 29 points in a 124-114 win at the Toyota Center. Green finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season and 21st of his career, which sets a franchise record. Tom Gola held the previous record with 20 of them. Klay Thompson added 28 points in what was the Warriors' eighth consecutive win on the road. They now lead the league with a 16-3 record away from home. The Rockets got 30 points from Eric Gordon in a losing effort and recently-acquired Gerald Green scored 29 off the bench, which included a career-high eight three-pointers. Harden missed his second straight game due to a groin injury and is expected to miss another two weeks for the West's second-best team. They will hit the road to battle the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night, while the Warriors remain off until Saturday afternoon when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers.
Westbrook, Thunder Lead Thunder to Another LA Win
Russell Westbrook and Paul George led the way on Thursday night for a second straight victory in Los Angeles for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook had a triple-double, while George led the scoring in his hometown with 31 points in a 127-117 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. This comes one night after they crushed the Lakers in that same stadium, as PG13 put on a show in front of his home crowd, which he is rumored to be joining as a free agent next season. Westbrook's triple-double was his 13th of the season, as he finished with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, while Carmelo Anthony added 22 points in the win. After an 8-12 start, the Thunder have won eight of their past 10 games, and now sit at 22-17 on the season. The Clippers saw their four-game win streak come to an end, despite DeAndre Jordan's season-high 26 points and 17 rebounds. Lou Williams had 26 points and Blake Griffin finished with 24 in Los Angeles's 20th loss of the season. OKC will be in Phoenix next on their road trip against the Suns on Sunday night. Meanwhile, the Clippers stay home to host the Warriors on Saturday.
Arizona State Suffers Second Straight Loss
When the Arizona State Sun Devils came out of nowhere as a top-5 team, many wondered if it was a fluke, and their recent results may prove that to be correct. Namon Wright had 19 points on Thursday night to help the Colorado Buffaloes hand the Sun Devils their second straight loss in overtime, 90-81. Wright scored five points in the extra period, as the Buffaloes earned their first Pac-12 win of the season, despite falling behind, 11-0, in the opening minutes of the contest. They took a six-point lead with just over a minute left in regulation, but the Sun Devils came back as Mickey Mitchell tied the game with a dunk in the final five seconds to force overtime. Colorado outscored Arizona State, 16-7, in the final five minutes, They made six straight free throws to seal the victory, which was the highest-ranked team that Colorado has defeated since a win over No. 3 Texas on February 4th, 2003. The win also snapped a three-game losing streak for the Buffaloes, who got 18 points from George King. Tra Holder had 24 points for Arizona State, whose two-game losing streak comes after a 12-game win streak. Colorado is already on a better foot than last season, where they started 0-7 in conference play. They will host the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday afternoon, while Arizona State visits Utah on Sunday night.
