LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 28 points, DeMarcus Cousins added 14 before fouling out of his Warriors debut after being sidelined for nearly a year, and Golden State pulled away in the third quarter to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 112-94 on Friday night for its seventh straight victory and sixth in a row on the road.
The Warriors shot just 9 of 37 on 3-pointers on a night when Curry made only three from long range. Fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson missed all four of his 3-point attempts.
Cousins went 5 for 11 from the floor and finished with six rebounds and three assists during his first game since Jan. 26, 2018, when he ruptured his left Achilles tendon playing for New Orleans. He missed the rest of last season, including nine playoff games for the Pelicans. The Warriors signed him last July.
With Cousins finally in the lineup, Golden State became the first team in 42 years to start five All-Stars from the previous season.
Kevin Durant had 24 points for the Warriors. Tobias Harris led the short-handed Clippers with 28 in their season-worst fifth consecutive loss.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — D'Angelo Russell matched his career high with 40 points and Brooklyn overcame a 21-point deficit to beat Orlando.
Russell's 3-pointer with 27.1 seconds left put the Nets up for the first time since they led 2-0. After missed free throws by both teams left Brooklyn with a two-point lead, Evan Fournier missed a shot in the lane that would have tied it for Orlando.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half for Brooklyn. The Nets won for the 16th time in 21 games, making 19 of 46 3-pointers. They also rallied Wednesday night in a 145-142 overtime victory at Houston.
Aaron Gordon scored 23 points for Orlando, and Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 17 rebounds.
SPURS 116, TIMBERWOLVES 113
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — LaMarcus Aldridge scored 25 points, Rudy Gay added 22 and San Antonio held on to beat Minnesota to give coach Gregg Popovich another milestone victory.
The win was the 520th on the road in Popovich's career, tying him with Pat Riley for the most in NBA history. The Spurs have won 16 of the past 18 games between the teams.
San Antonio scoring leader DeMar DeRozan sat out because of left ankle soreness.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points for Minnesota, but was limited to 21 minutes because of foul trouble. Derrick Rose also had 23 points.
BOSTON (AP) — Kyrie Irving scored 20 of his 38 points in the third quarter and Boston held off Memphis.
Irving also had 11 assists and seven rebounds to help Boston win ints second straight after dropping three in a row. Marcus Smart added 20 points and Al Horford had 18
Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with 26 points. They have lost 10 of 11 overall, and six in a row on the road.
TRAIL BLAZERS 128, PELICANS 112
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Damian Lillard had 22 points and eight assists to lead Portland over New Orleans.
CJ McCollum and reserve forward Jake Layman scored 20 points each for the Trail Blazers. Layman got all his points in the second quarter.
Anthony Davis finished with 27 points and seven rebounds for the Pelicans. Jrue Holiday had 20 points and Julius Randle added 19.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points, Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 15 rebounds and Utah routed Cleveland for its sixth straight victory and eighth in nine games.
Royce O'Neale added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Ante Zizic and Collin Sexton each scored 15 points, and Cameron Payne had 14 for the Cavaliers.
PISTONS 98, HEAT 93
DETROIT (AP) — Blake Griffin had 32 points and 11 rebounds and Detroit Pistons overcame an early exit by injured Andre Drummond to beat Miami.
Dwyane Wade scored 20 points for the Heat, but missed badly on an off-balance 3-pointer in the final seconds that could have tied it.
Drummond left with a nasal injury after being hit in the face in the first quarter by the arm of Miami's James Johnson.
