NBA roundup: Warriors set record for best start

[November 25, 2015]  The Sports Xchange
 
 OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors became the first team to start an NBA season 16-0 Tuesday night, blowing out the Los Angeles Lakers basically from the opening tip en route to a 111-77 victory over their California rival.

The 16th consecutive win allowed the Warriors to break a tie with the 1948-49 Washington Capitols and 1993-94 Houston Rockets for best start in league history.

Point guard Stephen Curry poured in 24 points and power forward Draymond Green contributed 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots in 30 minutes as the Warriors won their 20th straight regular-season game dating back to last April, becoming just the sixth team ever to do so.

Only three teams have won more than 20 NBA games in a row. The Warriors' next target will be the 22 in a row recorded by the Houston Rockets during the 2007-08 season.

The Lakers hold the NBA record for most consecutive wins with 33, set in the 1971-72 season. The Miami Heat won 27 straight in 2012-13.

Lakers star Kobe Bryant was held to four points on 1-for-14 shooting. It was his lowest output of the season, having scored in double figures in each of his previous 10 contests.

Pacers 123, Wizards 106

WASHINGTON -- Forward Paul George scored a season-high 40 points as the surging Pacers sank a franchise-record 19 3-pointers in their win.

Forward C.J. Miles established a career high with 32 points and combined with George to dominate from distance. Indiana shot 73.1 percent (19 of 26) from beyond the arc. Miles and George combined to make their first 11 3-point attempts.

Indiana has won nine of its last 11 games, including three straight. The loss ended Washington's three-game winning streak.

Guard Gary Neal scored 23 points and guard Bradley Beal had 20 for the Wizards (6-5).

Hawks 121, Celtics 97

ATLANTA -- Forward Paul Millsap led seven Hawks in double figures with 25 points, and point guard Jeff Teague added 16 points and nine assists for Atlanta.

Atlanta (10-6) overcame another big night from red-hot Boston guard Avery Bradley. Bradley scored 25 points to lead the Celtics, and he is averaging 22.4 points in his last five games.

The Hawks took an 81-73 lead into the fourth quarter before forward Mike Scott converted a three-point play off of nice pass from point guard Dennis Schroder to put the Hawks up 11 with nine minutes to play.

Grizzlies 110, Mavericks 96

MEMPHIS -- Guard Mike Conley scored 21 points and forward Jeff Green added 19 to lead Memphis, which played its third straight game without forward Zach Randolph, who has a knee injury.

Green, who returned to the starting lineup five games ago, scored eight of his points in the third quarter as the Grizzlies turned a 10-point halftime lead into a 22-point advantage. Memphis led by as many as 25 early in the fourth quarter.

J.J. Barea and Raymond Felton each scored 16 off the bench to lead the Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Clippers 111, Nuggets 94

DENVER -- Center DeAndre Jordan had 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, and forward Blake Griffin also had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds to help the Clippers end a three-game losing streak.

Guard Chris Paul had 15 points and 10 assists and guard J.J. Redick had 12 of his 16 points in the first half.

Forward Danilo Gallinari led Denver (6-9) with 20 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, all on the defensive end. Center Nikola Jokic added 16 points.

Guard Jamal Crawford's 3-pointer from halfcourt beat the halftime buzzer to give Los Angeles an 83-72 lead.

Bulls 93, Trail Blazers 88

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Bulls sank six straight free throws over the final 15.9 seconds to close out the road victory.

Guard Jimmy Butler -- who sank the first four of those foul shots -- led Chicago (9-4) with 22 points, while guard Derrick Rose added 17 points and center Pau Gasol collected 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Guard Damian Lillard had 19 points, a season-high 10 rebounds and eight assists for Portland (6-10), but he made only 4 of 22 shots from the field. Guard CJ McCollum added 18 points and center Mason Plumlee had 11 points and a season-high 17 rebounds for the Blazers.

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