By ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry roared back from a rough first half to score 18 of his 26 points after intermission, Jimmy Butler had 21 points and the Golden State Warriors ran away from the Orlando Magic in the second half for a 120-97 win Monday night, Dec. 22.
Curry played on a tender left ankle and missed his initial six 3-point tries — beginning 3 for 13 from the floor — before finally connecting from deep with 8:20 left in the third quarter to pull the Warriors within 71-69. That was all it took to get Golden State rolling on a 14-4 run.
The two-time MVP shot 10 for 23 overall, making 4 of 13 3s. He had six assists and two of his team’s eight steals.
Paolo Banchero had 21 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, and Desmond Bane scored 20 points for Orlando in the first night of a road back-to-back.
Moses Moody scored 20 points for the Warriors, while Brandin Podziemski came off the bench to finish with 16 points, five assists and four rebounds. Draymond Green contributed nine points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes a game after being ejected early in the second quarter Saturday against Phoenix.
Golden State guard Buddy Hield had his streak of 199 straight regular-season games played snapped in Saturday’s 119-116 win over the Suns, but hit a late 3-pointer Monday. Jonathan Kuminga didn’t play again after missing the last game with an illness.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr hopes to have center Al Horford back Thursday from a seven-game absence because of right sciatic nerve irritation.
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back after two losses in three games to beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 119-103, in a matchup of teams missing several key contributors.
Gilgeous-Alexander made 11 of 20 shots and had eight assists and four steals. It was his 100th consecutive game with at least 20 points, adding to the second-longest streak in NBA history.
Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Ajay Mitchell added 16 off the bench before leaving midway through the fourth quarter for Oklahoma City (26-3), which played without starters Chet Holmgren (illness) and Isaiah Hartenstein (calf soreness).
Cedric Coward and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope each scored 15 points for Memphis (13-16), which played without injured starters Ja Morant (ankle) and Zach Edey (ankle). The Grizzlies committed 23 turnovers, leading to 31 Oklahoma City points.
The teams combined to shoot 80 3-pointers. The Grizzlies were 18 for 41 (44%), while the Thunder made 15 of 39 (38%).
Oklahoma City led 67-54 at halftime. The Thunder turned a 57-47 lead into a 17-point advantage on a dunk by Williams, a deep 3-point basket by Lu Dort and a layup by Gilgeous-Alexander. Three turnovers by Caldwell-Pope fueled the blitz.
After Memphis cut the Thunder lead to 78-71 on a corner 3-pointer by Caldwell-Pope with 2:25 left in the third, Williams made a pair of jumpers and then threw down a dunk over Christian Koloko to make it 84-71.
The Thunder took a 93-75 lead on a 3-pointer by Mitchell early in the fourth, but Memphis fought back. The Grizzlies pulled within 101-97 on Caldwell-Pope’s 3-pointer, but Gilgeous-Alexander answered with a 3-pointer, then assisted Branden Carlson on a corner 3-point shot to extend the lead to 107-97.
That was as close as Memphis would get. Oklahoma City extended the lead to 113-99 on back-to-back baskets by Gilgeous-Alexander.
