Author: APFri, 2017-03-17ID: 1489739075341015000OAKLAND, California: Klay Thompson scored 21 of his 29 points in the first quarter and the Golden State Warriors cruised past the Orlando Magic 122-92 in the NBA on Thursday night.Stephen Curry added 25 points and nine assists after appearing to injure his right foot in the opening minutes, Andre Iguodala scored 14 and Zaza Pachulia had 10 points and 10 rebounds to help the Warriors improve to an NBA-best 54-14 and clinch their third straight Pacific Division title.Thompson, who owns the NBA record for most points in one quarter with 37 against Sacramento on Jan. 23, 2015, was almost perfect in the opening period against Orlando. The three-time All-Star made his first five shots beyond the arc and shot 8 of 11 overall while helping the Warriors to an early double-digit lead.Elfrid Payton and Jeff Green scored 13 points apiece for Orlando.THUNDER 123, RAPTORS 102: Russell Westbrook had 24 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds in three quarters for his 34th triple-double of the NBA season as the Oklahoma City Thunder registered their fourth consecutive win with a victory over the Toronto Raptors.The league’s leading scorer moved closer to the NBA’s single-season record for triple-doubles, 41 set by Oscar Robertson in the 1961-62 season. Oklahoma has 14 regular season games left.Victor Oladipo added 23 points as the Thunder split the season series with the Raptors, the fourth straight year the teams have done so.DeMar DeRozan had 22 points for the Raptors, while Serge Ibaka had 10 points against his former team.CAVALIERS 91, JAZZ 83: LeBron James scored 33 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter as Cleveland defeated Utah.Kevin Love played for the first time since having surgery on his left knee last month and scored 10 points in 19 minutes. But Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert left the game with injuries.James was 13 of 20 from the field and had 10 rebounds with six assists. He also moved into 13th place all time in field goals in the fourth quarter, passing Tim Duncan.Irving, who scored 21 points, did not play in the fourth quarter because of tightness in his left knee. Shumpert sprained his left shoulder in the third quarter.Rudy Gobert led Utah with 20 points and 18 rebounds.GRIZZLIES 103, HAWKS 91: Marc Gasol had 18 points as part of his triple-double to help resurgent Memphis topped Atlanta.Gasol, who had 10 rebounds and 10 assists, reached the triple-double with his assist on JaMychal Green’s 3-pointer with 3:10 remaining.The Grizzlies have won three straight — including road games at Chicago and Atlanta on back-to-back nights — following a five-game losing streak. Mike Conley had 22 points and 12 assists, while Green added 14 points and 12 rebounds.Tim Hardaway Jr. led Atlanta with 18 points.NETS 121, KNICKS 110: Brook Lopez scored 24 points as the Brooklyn Nets dominated the second half to beat the Knicks for their second victory over their New York rivals in five days.The Nets made five straight 3-pointers during a 38-point third quarter, turning around the game after they were just 2 for 16 behind the arc in the first half.Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 20 points and 10 rebounds for Brooklyn, which beat New York 120-112 at home on Sunday and earned a split of the city series after the Knicks won the first two meetings. Former Knicks star Jeremy Lin had 15 points and eight assists in his first game at Madison Square Garden this season.Kyle O’Quinn came off the bench to score 23 points for the Knicks, who still have not won consecutive games in 2017.NUGGETS 129, CLIPPERS 114: Will Barton scored a career-high 35 points, Nikola Jokic recorded his fifth triple-double of the season and Denver beat Los Angeles to win its fourth straight.Jokic finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists to help lead Denver to a win in a matchup of short-handed teams.The Clippers played without Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, who were left back in Los Angeles for the one-game trip. Denver forward Wilson Chandler (right groin) and Danilo Gallinari (left knee bone bruise) also sat, but Kenneth Faried returned after missing nine games with lower back spasms. Faried had 12 points in 18 minutes.Chris Paul had 18 points and 14 assists, J.J. Redick scored a team-high 22 and Austin Rivers had 17 for the Clippers, who have lost three straight.
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