Curry scores 49 points, Warriors beat Celtics 109 105

FILE: Stephen Curry (Photo by Keith Allison/Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)

OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry scored 49 points with 13 of those over the final 1:42 and hit eight 3-pointers, lifting the Golden State Warriors past the Boston Celtics 109-105 on Saturday night in what is already being hyped as a potential NBA Finals matchup come June.

Curry made a go-ahead 3 with 1:42 to play, scored on a driving layup the next time down before eight late free throws. He also made three of his 3s over the final 4:20 of the third quarter for the Warriors, who had lost the last two matchups to the Celtics and two in a row at home. The Warriors fell 92-88 at Boston on Nov. 16 in which they squandered a 17-point lead.

Kyrie Irving scored 37 points on 13-for-18 shooting with five 3s, but Boston failed to build momentum from a win at the Clippers on Wednesday night, losing for the fifth time in six games.

Kevin Durant added 20 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors, who haven’t lost to the same Eastern Conference opponent twice in the same season during fourth-year coach Steve Kerr’s tenure. Draymond Green had 15 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

THUNDER 121, PISTONS 108

DETROIT (AP) — Carmelo Anthony surpassed the 25,000-point milestone and Russell Westbrook added 31 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds to lift surging Oklahoma City past Detroit.

Thunder guard Andre Roberson was taken off on a stretcher in the third quarter after landing hard on the court after trying to jump for an alley-oop. The scary injury put a damper on Oklahoma City’s seventh straight victory. It’s the NBA’s longest current winning streak.

Detroit has lost seven in a row, the league’s longest current skid. The Pistons now face back-to-back games against LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

Anthony scored his 25,000th point on a free throw with 8:30 left in the third quarter. That was part of a 15-0 run for the Thunder at the start of the second half that pushed their lead to 27.

TIMBERWOLVES 111, KNICKS 97

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jimmy Butler scored 21 points in his return to Minnesota’s, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points and 19 rebounds for his NBA-leading 43rd double-double.

Butler added six rebounds and five assists after missing four games with right knee soreness. Andrew Wiggins scored 21 points, and Jamal Crawford added 16 to help Minnesota snap a two-game skid.

Jahlil Okafor scored 21 points, and Nick Stauskas added 15 for a short-handed Brooklyn squad that has lost six of eight games. Nets coach Kenny Atkinson was ejected in the fourth quarter after coming out on the court to argue a call. Players and coaches had to restrain the enraged Atkinson.

WIZARDS 129, HAWKS 104

ATLANTA (AP) — Markieff Morris matched his season high with 23 points and Washington used balanced scoring and strong 3-point shooting to overcome the absence of John Wall.

Wall, selected to his fifth All-Star team as a reserve Tuesday, did not play due to a recurrence of soreness and swelling in his left knee. He missed nine games earlier in the season with soreness and swelling in the knee.

Mike Scott, who began his career in Atlanta, had 19 points and Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr.

each had 18 for Washington. Taurean Prince, Tyler Dorsey and Dewayne Dedmon each had 14 points to lead Atlanta.

HEAT 95, HORNETS 91

MIAMI (AP) — Josh Richardson scored 19 points, Wayne Ellington added 17, including a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left to seal the outcome, and Miami snapped a two-game slide.

The Heat trailed by 15 midway through the third, then outscored the Hornets by 19 the rest of the way.

Kemba Walker scored 30 points, and Dwight Howard had 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Hornets.

NUGGETS 91, MAVERICKS 89

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic completed his second triple-double with a late jumper to put Denver ahead, and the Nuggets held on to beat Dallas.

Jokic had 11 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. Gary Harris scored 24 points to help Denver rally from nine points down in the fourth quarter for its third straight victory.

Harrison Barnes had 22 points for Dallas.

PACERS 114, MAGIC 112

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Victor Oladipo scored 24 points, Lance Stephenson added a season-high 21 and Indiana overcame a late 10-point deficit to beat Orlando.

Indiana won its seventh straight in the series by closing on an 18-6 run over the final 6:15.

Aaron Gordon had 22 points, and Evan Fournier added with 21 to lead the Magic.