Klay, Steph make big splash

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Klay Thompson scored 21 points and Steph Curry tallied 18 as the Golden State Warriors began a seven-game home stand with a dominating 102-86 victory over the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Tuesday.

The Warriors opened with a 26-13 scoring burst to lead 66-38 at halftime.

They led by as much as 34 points in the third quarter, 73-39, and then cruised to their third-straight win.

It was the best performance of the season for Thompson, who returned five games ago as he works his way back from an anterior cruciate ligament and Achilles injuries. He played 22 minutes and hit three three-pointers.

Curry, who returned after a one-game absence, shot six for 11 from the floor with four three-pointers and eight assists.

He fell on his right hand during a win in Chicago on Friday, then missed Sunday’s 119-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Andrew Wiggins chipped in with 19 points for the Warriors.

Rodney McGruder paced the Pistons with a season-high 19 points off the bench.

Elsewhere, Anthony Edwards scored a team-high 21 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 as Minnesota rallied to edge the mistake-prone New York Knicks, 112-110.

The Timberwolves surrendered a 12-point lead but stayed in the game despite being outscored 40-25 in the third quarter and then outscored the Knicks 10-3 down the stretch.

D’Angelo Russell added 17 points and Jaylen Nowell chipped in 14 for the Wolves, who are 6-2 in their last eight games since falling to 16-20 with a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on 2 January.

Evan Fournier led all scorers with 27 points and Julius Randle finished with 21 points, nine assists and nine rebounds for the Knicks, who dropped below .500 in the standings and are 8-5 in their last 13 games.

RJ Barrett finished with 17 points and also committed seven of the Knicks’ 18 turnovers.

“It was a hard-fought game and didn’t get it done down the stretch,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.

The Wolves held a 61-51 lead at halftime and a 78-73 advantage with 4:48 left in the third before the Knicks closed the quarter on an 18-8 run to claim a 91-86 lead.