Curry erupts for 37, outguns James, Lakers

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Stephen Curry scored 37 points as the Golden State Warriors outdueled LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 123-116 to claim a crucial victory in their blockbuster Western Conference clash in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Thursday.

Fresh from scoring 52 points in the Warriors’ defeat of Memphis on Tuesday, Curry produced a trademark burst of third-quarter scoring to take the game away from the Lakers down the stretch.

Brandin Podziemski also caught fire for Golden State, making 8-of-10 attempts from three-point range in a 28-point performance that helped the Warriors roll to their fourth straight win.

The Lakers were led by the 40-year-old James with 33 points while Austin Reaves finished with 31 points including nine three-pointers in a frenetic finish in the fourth quarter.

“We’ve set a goal of trying to lift our level of play, preparing, hopefully, for a playoff series,” Curry told TNT television.

“We know every game matters down the stretch. The intensity has been crazy but that’s what you love — having something to play for is special.”

The battle marked the first matchup between the two teams since their respective trades for Luka Doncic and Jimmy Butler.

The victory edged Golden State closer to securing an automatic playoff berth, leaving them fifth in the standings with a 45-31 record. The Lakers remain in fourth place at 46-30, just behind third-placed Denver (47-30).

The Warriors and Lakers are locked in a furious six-way battle for the four remaining automatic playoff berths available in the Western Conference.

Two of the other teams vying for a top-six finish — the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies — scored important wins.

The Grizzlies halted a four-game losing skid after Ja Morant’s buzzer-beater secured a 110-108 road victory against the Miami Heat.

Morant finished with 30 points — 27 of them coming in the second half — to give Memphis a win which leaves them in sixth place in the West with a 45-32 record.

Morant said his flurry of second-half points had been fired by a hostile Miami crowd who booed him throughout.

“The crowd booing me — they just woke me up for the second half,” Morant said.

“It feels good to get back in the win column, we’ve just got to keep it rolling.”

In New York, Minnesota overcame an injury scare to Anthony Edwards before easing to a 105-90 win against the Brooklyn Nets.

Edwards needed to be helped from the court after rolling an ankle when he landed on the foot of Nets coach Jordi Fernandez standing at courtside during the second quarter.

The Wolves ace returned in the second half and finished with 28 points in a win that keeps Minnesota firmly in the hunt in the playoff race.

In Philadelphia, the Milwaukee Bucks stayed on course for the postseason with a 126-113 defeat of the already eliminated 76ers thanks to an imperious triple-double performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks’ Greek star finished with 35 points, 17 rebounds and 20 assists on a night when seven Milwaukee players finished in double figures.

Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers left the game late in the first half after falling ill, leaving assistant Darvin Ham to take over for the remainder of the contest.

“He just tapped me on the shoulder and said ‘You got it from here man, my stomach is messed up,’” Ham said afterwards.

“Next man up, next men up. That’s why you build a good crew.”

The win keeps Milwaukee in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 42-34 record.