Arya News - Warriors beat Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers power past Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers top Washington Wizards.
Stephen Curry scored 44 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors escaped with a 119-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis.
Yaxel Lendeborg added 26 points in Wednesday night’s match for Golden State, which won its second straight game after losing its first three contests of the season. Brandon Williams chipped in 11 points off the bench.
Jonathan Kuminga scored 20 points against his former team to lead Minnesota, which dropped its second game in a row after a 3-0 start. Jaden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr each finished with 19 points, and Ayo Dosunmu contributed 17.
The Timberwolves outscored the Warriors 66-55 in the second half but could not complete the comeback attempt. Bones Hyland made a bank shot to trim the deficit to three points in the final seconds, but Curry ended the scoring with two free throws.
The Warriors led 93-81 at the end of the third quarter.
Golden State increased its lead to as many as 24 points midway through the second half. Curry converted a three-point play to give the Warriors a 78-54 lead.
Minnesota closed the third quarter on a 27-15 run to cut the deficit to 12. Hyland came off the bench and made a pair of 3-pointers to help the Timberwolves draw closer.
Golden State led 64-48 at the half.
The Warriors closed the first quarter on a 21-9 run to grab a 30-23 advantage. De’Anthony Melton knocked down a pair of 3-pointers during the run, and Lendeborg added a driving layup and a 3-pointer.
Another layup by Lendeborg gave Golden State its first double-digit lead of the game at 48-38 with 6:29 left in the half.
Golden State scored seven of the final nine points of the first half to go ahead by 16. Lendeborg made a 3-pointer and Will Richard and Curry made two free throws apiece.
Simons fuels fourth-quarter flurry as 76ers power past Pacers
Tyrese Maxey led a balanced attack with 27 points, and Anfernee Simons ignited a deficit-erasing, fourth-quarter run, as the Philadelphia 76ers overtook the Indiana Pacers for a 114-109 victory in Indianapolis.
Simons finished with 20 points off the bench, while Joel Embiid had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Jaylen Brown 20 points and 10 rebounds and LeBron James had 13 points and 10 assists for the 76ers.
Pascal Siakam totalled 26 points to complement 11 rebounds and Andrew Nembhard chipped in with an 18-point, 14-assist double-double for the Pacers.
In a game that featured a 37-point explosion by the 76ers in the second quarter and two Pacers bursts during a 36-point response in the third period, Philadelphia found itself down 88-75 before dominating the final 12 minutes.
Simons buried a 3-pointer 18 seconds into the fourth quarter and the 76ers didn’t slow down until they had run off 26 of the period’s first 34 points to go up 101-96 with 4:24 to go. He had another 3-pointer in the run, James added one and Embiid contributed a three-point play.
Consecutive hoops by Siakam and Nembhard got the hosts within one with 3:07 to play, and it remained a one-score game into the final 90 seconds until Maxey secured Philadelphia’s fourth win in five games with a pair of 3-pointers in the final 1:10.
The 76ers outscored the Pacers 39-21 in the final period.
Indiana had taken its second-half lead with 17-0 and 13-2 third-quarter flurries, the latter helping put the 76ers in a 13-point hole entering the final 12 minutes.
Aaron Nesmith had 18 points, Kelly Oubre Jr had 15 and Obi Toppin had 13 for the Pacers, who lost their second straight.
Cavaliers spoil AJ Dybantsa’s Wizards debut
Evan Mobley scored 24 points and Peyton Watson had a season-high 22 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the visiting Washington Wizards 121-111, spoiling the NBA debut of top overall draft pick AJ Dybantsa.
Dybantsa had a team-high 19 points in 27 minutes, making 8 of 12 field goal attempts with two rebounds and two assists.
Mobley, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, also grabbed 12 rebounds as Cleveland rallied from a 13-point deficit. Donovan Mitchell posted 19 points and seven assists, and Jarrett Allen had eight points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr each scored 18 points for the Wizards, while Kyshawn George had eight points and a career-high 11 assists. Trae Young added 14 points and eight assists, and Bilal Coulibaly made 8 of 9 shots and scored 17 off the bench.
The Cavaliers went in front for the first time since the first quarter at 94-92 on Mobley’s slam to begin the fourth. Dybantsa put Washington back ahead 105-104, but Cleveland scored the next nine points in completing a perfect three-game homestand.
Dybantsa drove the lane two minutes into the third to extend the Wizards’ lead to 76-63, but Cleveland ended the period on a 29-16 run. Mitchell made two free throws to tie it at 92-92 going into the fourth.
Coulibaly scored 14 points without a miss in the first half as Washington carried a 69-59 advantage into the break. Dybantsa had 11 points in 14 minutes and Young had seven points and six assists, while Watson had 16 for the Cavaliers.
Sarr scored 13 points in the first, his season high for a game, as the Wizards built a 42-34 lead. Dybantsa, Mitchell and Mobley all had nine points apiece as the teams combined to make 9 of 13 3-point attempts and go 15 of 16 at the foul line.
Dybantsa attacked the basket on the opening possession, drawing a foul and making two free throws 16 seconds in.