Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young (0) shoots against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the National Basketball Association game at the Staples Center.
Advertisement
Golden State rediscovered its shooting stroke and overcame some more sloppy play to down the Orlando Magic 119-113 and win its 45th straight regular-season game at Oracle Arena.
The Warriors are still chasing the Bulls’ record 72-win season. Curry hit 7 from beyond the arc against Monday as he led all scorers with 41 points.
Curry has led the league in three-pointers made each of the last three seasons and has now broken his own record in four consecutive years.
On Sunday, the 13-51 Los Angeles Lakers did the unthinkable. Klay Thompson added 15 points, but the Splash Brothers were a combined 1 of 18 from 3-point range.
“Right now it’s kind of an awkward period in the schedule when you have 20 games left and you’re trying to lock up No. 1 seed and everybody’s talking about the record 73 wins”, Curry said in a sit-down Tuesday.
“Last game, I’m riding in the auto, and if I reach up to turn on the radio and I can’t move my arm, it’s not a good thing”, Bryant said of his shoulder, which has bothered him virtually all season.
The loss came hours after the team said coach Gregg Popovich did not make the trip because of a “family medical situation”. Golden State built a 31-18 lead after one quarter and persevered through a third-quarter Orlando run to hold a 94-77 advantage heading into the fourth.
Bryant made it back for his final career game against the Warriors on national TV after sitting out Friday’s loss to Atlanta. The back-to-back wins will alarm the portion of the Lakers’ fans hoping for another miserable season to maximize their chances of keeping their first-round pick, which will go to Philadelphia if it isn’t among the top three after the May 17 lottery. Evan Fournier, Brandon Jennings and Aaron Gordon scored 20 points each for the Magic.
The 300th three-pointer was a rare spectacle. G/F Andre Iguodala sat out for the second time in three games with left hamstring tightness. In a home game later against Washington, Pippen was hardly missed.
“The players know that they didn’t perform”, Kerr said.
Advertisement
Victor Oladipo (back) returned from his one-game absence and approached a triple-double with 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
