Curry leads Warriors fightback after Sixers blitz
Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant scores past Philadelphia 76ers forward Richaun Holmes and guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot during the second quarter of their NBA match at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on November 18, 2017. The Warriors won 124-116.
Stephen Curry scored 35 points as the Golden State Warriors bounced back from a disastrous first-half performance to overpower the Philadelphia 76ers 124-116 on Saturday.
Curry erupted in a one-sided third quarter for the Warriors after the Sixers had stunned the reigning National Basketball Association champions with an astonishing 47-point first-quarter display at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center.
The points haul was the most the Warriors have conceded in a single quarter since giving up 48 points in the fourth quarter of a game against Portland in November 1992.
The Sixers led 47-28 after the first period and extended their lead to 74-52 at the break, leaving the Warriors staring at a potential blowout loss.
However, Steve Kerr's men came roaring back after half-time, and with Curry and Kevin Durant to the fore, put up their own 47-point quarter in the third.
Curry rattled in 20 points alone in the third quarter as the Warriors erased a 22-point Sixers lead and quickly accelerated clear of their rivals.
By the end of the third, the Warriors had raced into a 99-89 lead, a comfortable buffer they never looked like relinquishing throughout the fourth.
Curry finished with 35 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, while Durant weighed in with 27 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
"They played well in the first quarter so you've got to credit them," Curry said afterward.
"Sometimes when you get down like that it's not all our fault. We helped them a little bit with some turnovers and easy 3-pointers, which gave them momentum, especially at home.
"The second half, at the beginning of the third quarter we got some stops and that allowed our offense to take over. We executed better."
Klay Thompson (17), Zaza Pachulia (10) and David West (14) also chipped in with double-figure tallies.
Warriors power forward Draymond Green praised the way his team responded to the early onslaught.
"They came out and punched us in the mouth but we were able to weather the storm," Green said.
"First half they bullied us. We gave no resistance, they got whatever they wanted. In the third quarter we made some stops, Steph got hot and we started playing like ourselves."
Ben Simmons led the scoring for the Sixers with 23 points while Joel Embiid had 21 points. Four other Sixers players — Dario Saric, Robert Covington, JJ Redick and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot — made double figures. The Warriors improved to 12-4 with the win while the Sixers fell to 8-7.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (left) drives against Atlanta Hawks center Dewayne Dedmon in the fourth quarter of their NBA game at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 18, 2017.
In Atlanta, Georgia, the Boston Celtics maintained their blistering form with a 15th straight victory, downing the Hawks 110-99.
Kyrie Irving scored 30 points and forward Jaylen Brown added 27 as the Celtics improved to 15-2 to head the Eastern Conference.
Boston's current winning streak is the fifth-longest in franchise history, putting them within sight of the club record of 19 set in 2008.
Irving went 10-for-12 from the field, including 5 3-pointers, with 5 assists and 4 rebounds.
Brown made four 3-pointers, and had 4 rebounds.
Dennis Schroder had 23 points, and Kent Bazemore added 19 for Atlanta. The Hawks are an Eastern Conference-worst 3-13, but they still had plenty of adrenaline following a 46-point victory over Sacramento — the biggest in franchise history — two nights ago
Elsewhere on Saturday, it was: Rockets 105, Grizzlies 83; Jazz 125, Magic 85; Trail Blazers 102, KINGS 90; Mavericks 111, Bucks 79; Hornets 102, Clippers 87.
