Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors certainly looked ready to trade some more blows with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers come June.
The two-time reigning MVP hit five 3-pointers and had 20 points while matching his season best with 11 assists in Golden State’s 126-91 rout of the defending champs on Monday.
Klay Thompson chipped in with 26 points, and Draymond Green produced his third triple-double of the season with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Green also matched his career best with five blocks — and had another dustup with James for good measure.
Green and James became the talk once more as their relationship turned even more testy when Green fouled James hard at midcourt, knocking him to the floor and getting a flagrant 1 foul in the process. He reacted by mocking James for flopping on the play.
Hawks 108, Knicks 107 — Dennis Schroder scored 28 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 22 seconds left, to lead Atlanta over New York at Madison Square Garden.
The reeling Knicks had three attempts to get a desperately needed victory after Schroder’s bucket, but Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, and Joakim Noah all missed shots before time expired.
Tim Hardaway Jr. added 20 points and Paul Millsap had 17 for the Hawks, who won for the ninth time in 10 games to reach the midpoint of their schedule at 24-17.
Anthony scored 30 points for the Knicks, who changed their lineup to no avail. They lost for the 11th time in their last 13 games.
76ers 113, Bucks 104 — Joel Embiid scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, leading Philadelphia to a win in Milwaukee. It was the Sixers’ fourth win in their last five games
The Sixers’ only recent loss was Saturday at Washington, when Embiid didn’t play. The young center is being limited to 28 minutes per game while trying to overcome injuries that have slowed his career.
Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo each scored 23 points for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo was plagued by foul trouble for most of the second half, scoring just 2 points in 11 minutes after the break and fouling out with 2:51 left.
Wizards 120, Trail Blazers 101 — Bradley Beal scored 25 points and John Wall had 24 as Washington took a page from Portland’a playbook by hitting 13 3-pointers in a home victory.
The Wizards, who rely less on the 3-pointer than almost any NBA team, were 13 of 23 from beyond the arc in their 12th consecutive home victory. The 3-point-heavy Trail Blazers shot 8 of 26 on their 3-point attempts.
After Wizards coach Scott Brooks called Trail Blazer guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum as good as any backcourt in the league, Beal and John Wall outplayed them. Lillard led the Blazers with 22 points and McCollum had 12, but they combined to shoot 11 of 29 from the floor.
The Wizards have won four of their last five games.
Pacers 98, Pelicans 95 — Jeff Teague fell just short of the first triple double of his career, and Paul George scored 20 points to help Indiana hold off New Orleans in Indianapolis.
Teague finished with 16 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds as the Pacers won their fifth of six.
All-Star center Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 16 points despite missing the final 19 minutes of the game after hurting his right hip and left thumb. Team officials said X-rays were negative.
The Pelicans were playing catch-up most of the game and finally tied the score at 91 with 4:10 to go. But Teague gave the Pacers the lead for good with a 3-pointer on their next possession.
Nuggets 125, Magic 112 — Nikola Jokic scored a career-high 30 points and Emmanuel Mudiay dished out a career-best 13 assists to lead Denver to a home-court victory over Orlando.
Jazz 106, Suns 101 — Joe Johnson scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 49.8 seconds to play, as Utah made it seven in a row over host Phoenix.