Warriors work overtime to shoot down Orleans and keep streak alive
Stephen Curry (left) of the Golden State Warriors drives past Patrick Beverley of the Houston Rockets in their NBA match at Oracle Arena on December 10 in California. AFP PHOTO
What you need to know:
- The Warriors opened overtime with a 9-1 scoring run while holding New Orleans without a field goal for more than two minutes.
- Tyreke Evans notched 34 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Jrue Holiday added 30 points, nine assists and five steals for the Pelicans, who were without prolific forward Anthony Davis due to a chest contusion he suffered Friday night against Cleveland.
- Bryant, a five-time champion in his 19th season, came into the contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves needing nine points to surpass Jordan’s career total of 32,292.
New Orleans
The Golden State Warriors rallied from a late fourth-quarter deficit, beating New Orleans 128-122 in overtime on Sunday to extend their NBA winning streak to 16 games.
Stephen Curry had 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Warriors, who became the ninth team in league history to launch a season 21-2.
Klay Thompson contributed 29 points and Draymond Green added 11 points and 13 rebounds for Golden State, who erased an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit.
The Warriors opened overtime with a 9-1 scoring run while holding New Orleans without a field goal for more than two minutes.
Tyreke Evans notched 34 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Jrue Holiday added 30 points, nine assists and five steals for the Pelicans, who were without prolific forward Anthony Davis due to a chest contusion he suffered Friday night against Cleveland.
The Warriors, who survived 19 turnovers, were again without Australian big man Andrew Bogut and David Lee, Bogut nursing a knee injury and Lee with a troublesome hamstring.
HITS TO THE FACE
Greene and Harrison Barnes both played with their noses packed after they each took hits to the face.
Elsewhere, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant passed NBA icon Michael Jordan on Sunday for third on the league’s all-time scoring list — and lifted his Los Angeles Lakers to a victory.
Bryant, a five-time champion in his 19th season, came into the contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves needing nine points to surpass Jordan’s career total of 32,292.
He tied and passed the Hall of Famer with a pair of free throws that gave the Lakers a 38-32 lead with 5:24 remaining in the second quarter.
He finished with 26 points, including a go-ahead three-pointer lofted over Andrew Wiggins with 1:02 to play as the Lakers triumphed 100-94.
“I’m just honored to be here and still be playing,” said Bryant, who was limited to just six games by injury last season. “Careers don’t usually last this long.
“I really, really appreciate the opportunity to be out there playing and performing and doing what I do.”
Bryant, with 32,310 points, now sits behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 38,387 and Karl Malone with 36,928 on the all-time list. (AFP)
