Indiana Pacers’ Thaddeus Young, center, passes while being defended by Golden State Warriors’ Zaza Pachulia, left, and Stephen Curry during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Nov. 21, 2016, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Klay Thompson scored 25 points and Stephen Curry added 22 as the Golden State Warriors won their eighth consecutive game, routing Indiana 120-83 Monday to complete a four-game road sweep.
Kevin Durant added 14 points while Draymond Green contributed 10 as the Warriors improved to 12-2, helped by a season-high 60 rebounds.
“What a great trip,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I thought we really defended well and we moved the ball extremely well.”
Durant grabbed 11 rebounds, all of them on the defensive side, and added six assists, two blocked shots and two steals.
“We contested lots of shots and blocked 10 of them,” Kerr said. “We’re getting those blocks from different people. It’s also great to see how well Kevin is defending. He was really good at that end.”
Durant, who joined the Warriors from Oklahoma City in the off-season, said he and his new teammates still are adjusting to each other.
“We played well but we still are getting used to each other,” Durant said. “It takes time to come together. I still think we are capable of being a lot better.”
A cold-shooting Pacers lineup made only 33 of 103 shots with starters Paul George and Myles Turner out with ankle injuries and guard Jeff Teague suffering an ankle injury in the third quarter as Indiana fell to 7-8.
“We knew coming in that this could be a trap scenario,” Curry said. “Finishing up a road trip against an injury-bugged team, it’s easy to lose focus. We wanted to be consistent for 48 minutes tonight. It’s a great way to finish a 4-0 road trip.”
Memphis ‘killer’ rocks on
Mike Conley scored 31 points to power the Memphis Grizzlies to their fifth win in a row, downing host Charlotte 105-90. The 10th-year NBA guard, who signed a $153 million contract in the off-season, scored 18 points in the first half.
“What can I say about Mike Conley?” Grizzlies coach David Fizdale said. “He’s getting closer and closer to the guy I want him to be — the killer that I want him to be. I’m really proud of his openness to it and that he is trying to adapt to what I want him to be.”
Conley hit 11 of 21 from the field, going 5 of 8 from 3-point range, as the Grizzlies improved to 9-5.
“He wants me to be much more aggressive,” Conley said. “I believe I’m one of the better point guards in the league and he does, too, so he’s giving me the opportunity to go out there and show it.”
James Harden scored a game-high 28 points, added eight rebounds and 11 assists to power Houston over Detroit 99-96, but he missed five free throws over the final 2:15 to keep the Pistons within reach. But Detroit missed three free throws in the final nine seconds on the way to a fourth consecutive loss.
Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo produced 21 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, five steals and three blocked shots while Jabari Parker made five 3-pointers on his way to 22 points as Milwaukee snapped a three-game losing streak by beating visiting Orlando 93-89.
Spurs, 76ers stretch streaks
Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points while Australia’s Patty Mills added 17 and Spain’s Pau Gasol scored 16 to spark the San Antonio Spurs to a sixth straight victory, downing visiting Dallas 96-91 to reach 11-3 on the season.
Rookie center Joel Embiid scored 22 points to spark Philadelphia to a fourth consecutive victory, the host 76ers downing Miami 101-94 despite a career-high 32 points from NBA rebounding leader Hassan Whiteside, who also grabbed 13 rebounds in a losing cause.
Bradley Beal scored a career-high 42 points to power the Washington Wizards over visiting Phoenix 106-101, hitting 14 of his 22 shots including 5 3-pointers.
Isaiah Thomas scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half to spark the Boston Celtics over host Minnesota 99-93. Al Horford added 20 points, six rebounds and five assists in his second game back from a concussion.