OAKLAND, Calif. -- Stephen Curry scored 33 points in his return from an ankle injury and the Golden State Warriors tied an NBA record by winning their 44th straight regular-season home game, 121-106 over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
Five days after tying an NBA record with 12 3-pointers in an overtime win at Oklahoma City, Curry went 5 of 15 from long range in the rematch. But he got more than enough help from his bench to help the Warriors (55-5) tie one record set by Chicago as they chase the Bulls' single-season mark for victories.
The Bulls won 44 consecutive home games from March 30, 1995, until April 4, 1996. That helped them set the record with 72 wins in 1995-96, a mark the Warriors remain on pace to surpass after beating the Thunder for the third time in as many tries this season (see full recap).
Wade scores 27 as Heat ease past Suns
MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade scored 27 points, Goran Dragic added 25 against his former team and the Miami Heat never trailed on the way to beating the Phoenix Suns 108-92 Thursday night for their third straight victory.
Luol Deng scored 12 and Hassan Whiteside grabbed 11 rebounds for Miami, which led by as many as 21 in the first half.
Rookie guard Devin Booker kept the Suns in the game, scoring 15 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter. Alex Len had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Phoenix, which tied a club record by losing its 17th consecutive road game.
Mirza Teletovic scored 11 points while Archie Goodwin and P.J. Tucker had 10 apiece for the Suns, who have dropped 30 of 33 overall (see full recap).
NBA
Leonard leads Spurs past Pelicans
NEW ORLEANS -- Kawhi Leonard capped 30-point, 11-rebound performance with a huge 3-pointer in the final minute, and the San Antonio Spurs extended their winning streak to seven games with a 94-86 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 26 points and Danny Green scored 11 for the Spurs, who trailed 86-84 before closing the game on a 12-0 run during the final 3:10.
Leonard was 12-of-22 shooting, including 6 for 10 from 3-point range.
Anthony Davis had 17 points and 13 rebounds for New Orleans, which dropped its third straight. Eric Gordon added 23 points and Jrue Holiday scored 13.
The Pelicans missed their last six shots and allowed the Spurs to grab a pair of critical offensive rebounds that led to five second-chance points during San Antonio's game-ending run (see full recap).
Rondo, Kings end 22-game skid in Dallas
DALLAS -- Rajon Rondo had 18 points and 12 assists in his first game in Dallas since an ugly split with the Mavericks last season, and the Sacramento Kings ended a 22-game regular-season losing streak on his old home floor with a 104-101 victory Thursday night.
Booed almost every time he touched the ball, Rondo was the steady hand the Kings needed late. He missed a January loss to Dallas when Sacramento blew a lead in double overtime to keep alive the Mavericks' longest winning streak against one opponent.
DeMarcus Cousins had 22 points and 13 rebounds as Sacramento snapped a four-game losing streak with just its fifth win in the past 17 games.
Chandler Parsons scored 28 to lead the Mavericks, who had a three-game winning streak snapped in the finale of a six-game homestand, their longest of the season (see full recap).