Stephen Curry became the Golden State Warriors’ top scorer in the ninth game of 50 points in his career, and he blew up to 53 in a 116–107 win over the Denver Nuggets Monday night.
The Nuggets could have lost more than a second match in a row as super-goalkeeper Jamal Murray fell with a left knee injury 50.6 seconds before the match.
Murray, who had missed the previous four games with a right knee injury, was taken straight to the locker room after the accident at the end of a night of 17 points. Coach Michael Malone said after the match that Murray would have an MRI scan.
Curry started the game with 17,765 points in his career for the Warriors, and needed 18 to equal Welt Chamberlain’s record of all time. It came in the first quarter and then finished the night 10 times as much. Nikola Gokic finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists for the Nuggets, while Michael Porter Jr. scored 24 points.
Wizards 125, Jazz 121
Meanwhile, Bradley Bell scored 34 points, Russell Westbrook scored his fifth hat-trick in a row, and Washington got a tough start to beating Utah in Salt Lake City. The result shattered his 24-game home winning streak, which is the record of the jazz franchise.
Westbrook scored 25 points, provided 14 assists and took 14 rebounds to help the Wizards beat Jazz for the second time in a month. Utah has won 11 of its 13 matches since losing to Washington on March 18.
Jazz lost despite 42 points from Donovan Mitchell and 33 from Bojan Bogdanovic.
Knicks 111, Lakers 96
In New York, Julius Randall scored 34 points and 10 rebounds as New York reigned in the third quarter and fought back in the fourth quarter to score a double-digit win over Los Angeles.
Randall thrived against his former team by firing 13 of 23 shots from the field while the Knicks fired 47.2 percent overall, beating 22 of 27 attempts from 3 points. Elfred Payton added 20 points and Derek Rose contributed 14 points to help the Knicks win their third game in a row.
The Lakers have dropped to 5-8 in the 13 games missed by stars Anthony Davis (injury to the right calf) and LeBron James (right ankle) this season. Dennis Schroeder led the Lakers with 21 points and Markev Morris added 17 points.
76ers 113, Mavericks 95
Meanwhile, Joel Embiid scored 36 points and had seven rebounds to lead Philadelphia to an edge over Dallas. Empiid fired 10 of 17 shots from the field and 14 of 15 from the free throw line in just 26 minutes.
Forkan Korkmaz added 20 points in just 18 minutes from the bench, while Tobias Harris and Chuck Milton contributed 10 points each to the Sixers. With victory, Philadelphia overtook the Brooklyn Nets and returned to first place in the Eastern Conference.
Luca Doncic led the Mavericks with 32 points, and his nineteenth game this season with at least 30 points, while Galen Bronson added 15. Kristaps Porzingis (the rest) did not play.
Suns 126, Rockets 120
For his part, Jay Crowder scored eight three-pointers, the most of his career, setting a Phoenix franchise record with 25 shots from outside the arc in the win over Houston.
Suns scored 25 out of 45 (55.6 percent) out of a 3-point range, smashing the benchmark less than two months ago. Crowder, who was an 8 of 9 from long range in the first half, finished 8 of 12 before spoiling 44 seconds in the fourth quarter.
Phoenix’s Devin Booker scored 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Deandre Ayton finished with 18 points in 9 of 13 shots from the field and scored eight rebounds. Houston led Christian Wood with 25 points and 15 rebounds, and Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points and 14 assists.
Tottenham 120, Magic 97
Likewise, DeMar DeRozan scored 19 points in three quarters of the games and Dejounte Murray added 17 points to lead San Antonio an early big lead and sink Orlando.
Tottenham led 18-0 in the first quarter and never looked back, overcoming Orlando as they gained a 28-point lead after three quarters. This victory is the second in a row for San Antonio.
RJ Hampton scored 16 points for Mr. Magic, who lost six games in a row, including all four games at home that ended on Monday.
Grizzlies 101, Bulls 90
Jonas Valancionas scored his fifteenth consecutive double double record, the record for the franchise, with 26 points and 14 rebounds to lead hosts Memphis to Chicago.
Teams made a total of 37 turns, 20 of which were by Grizzlies.
Dillon Brooks added 17 points for Memphis, Grayson Allen added 14 points and Ja Morant contributed 13 points and provided 10 assists.
Zach Lavigne led the Bulls with 21 points and nine assists, and Thaddeus Young scored 20. Nikola Vucevic scored 17 points, 10 rebounds and five rebounds.
Pelican 117, 110 Kings
Finally, Brandon Ingram scored 34 points and Zion Williamson added 30 as hosts New Orleans beat Sacramento.
Eric Bledso added 13 points, Keira Luis Junior and Whis Eundu 11 points, each to secure the Pelican victory in their third consecutive match.
Pelicans led by 23 points in the first half and withstood repeated charges from Kings in the second half, and the team lost the seventh in a row. Diaron Fox scored 43 points for Sacramento, and Harrison Barnes scored 16 points and 11 rebounds.
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