STEPHEN Curry spoiled Klay Thompson’s return to San Francisco with a game-high 37 points, including 12 straight during a late flurry that lifted the Golden State Warriors to a 120-117 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in an NBA Cup opener on Tuesday night (Wednesday in Manila).
Thompson turned back the clock with 22 points and Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 52 more, but the Mavericks scored only three points over the final 3:29 after taking a 114-108 lead.
Curry did all the Golden State scoring after that, including an interior hoop that put the Warriors on top for good at 115-114 with 1:50 remaining and a 3-pointer — followed by his trademark night-night gesture—to create a four-point lead with 27.5 seconds left.
Quentin Grimes kept Dallas’ hopes alive with a 3-pointer six seconds later, but Curry followed that with two free throws before Doncic missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with five seconds remaining.
In other games, it was the Knicks 111, Sixers 99; Pistons 123, Heat 121 (OT); Hawks 117, Celtics 116; Magic 114, Hornets 89; Bucks 99, Raptors 85; Suns 120, Jazz 112; and Blazers 122, Wolves 108.
Knicks 111, Sixers 99
OG Anunoby scored 24 points and Josh Hart recorded a triple double as New York spoiled Joel Embiid’s season debut with a road win over Philadelphia.
After missing six games due to a lingering knee injury and three more following a suspension for shoving a reporter, Embiid returned to the court in a competitive setting for the first time since the Olympics. He played for 26 minutes and shot 2 of 11 from the floor, finishing with 13 points, five assists and three rebounds.
Hart finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Paul George had 29 points and 10 rebounds to pace Philadelphia.
Pistons 123, Heat 121 (OT)
Malik Beasley made a go-ahead technical free throw with 1.1 seconds left in overtime and host Detroit escaped with a wild victory over Miami.
Tyler Herro (40 points), who scored the last nine points of regulation, all on 3-pointers, to force overtime, gave the Heat a two-point lead on a bank shot with 1.8 seconds left in the extra session. An alley-oop dunk by Jalen Duren off an inbounds pass tied the score. The Heat called a timeout they didn’t have, resulting in the technical and a 122-121 Pistons lead. Beasley then split two free throws after Miami was called for a take foul.
Beasley and Cade Cunningham notched 21 points apiece for Detroit. Herro’s 10 3-pointers tied a Heat record and are an NBA Cup single-game record.