Warriors Rout Suns, Snap Season-Long Losing Streak

Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson (11) gains a rebound against Phoenix Suns’ P.J. Tucker (17) in the first half of a National Basketball Association game at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015.

While the Warriors can’t exactly plan for another quarter like their third against the Suns – when they scored 46 points on 80% shooting from the field – they can make sure the ingredients remain a fixture of these upcoming games. It was Thompson who starred, going off for 43 points, 27 of them in the third quarter alone, as the Warriors picked up their 25th win of the season a week before Christmas.

“My heart can take the pounding, My mind can handle the grind, But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye”, Bryant wrote in a poem announcing his decision.

Then, Curry and his teammates made a decision to put on a show as they closed the second on a 21-4 run over a three-minute stretch to take a 13-point lead at halftime. IN led by 26 in the fourth quarter.

He and Stephen Curry outscored Phoenix 68-65 heading to the final period. Curry finished the game with 25 points and seven assists in only 30 minutes on the floor. Harrison Barnes missed his sixth straight game with a sprained left ankle….

Remember when Michael Carter-Williams dunked in the definitive exclamation points on the Bucks’ streak-snapping home win over the Warriors on Saturday night? The Bucks have lost the first two games of their Western road trip, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday and dropping a 103-90 decision to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

A 28-point performance from Dwyane Wade helped the Miami Heat overcome hosts the Brooklyn Nets 104-98, and Arron Afflalo’s 29 points propelled the New York Knicks to a 107-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“I’m just happy with how efficiently I played tonight”.

“You have to do everything right against these guys”, Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said.

“I stepped in. I need to be a little quicker”, Curry said.

“I was bigger than everybody”, Green said, before smiling and adding, “Substantially bigger than everybody, but I was still bringing the ball up the court, still driving by people, still shooting the ball”.

Thompson, whose previous season-best was 39 at IN last week, hit 15-of-22 shots, including eight three-pointers.

Draymond Green registered his fourth triple-double of the season, tallying 16 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and five steals. Derrick Rose set an early tone, scoring 10 of his 10 of his 19 points in the first quarter of the Chicago Bulls’ 98-85 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Gortat grabbed 10 rebounds. Marc Gasol is now 9-12 in games against his older brother, but said it’s “always cool” to play him.