NBA: Golden State Warriors end curse with Klay Thompson explosion – Los Angeles Lakers dominate

The Golden State Warriors’ road streak has finally come to an end, thanks largely to a three-pointer by Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry. The Lakers still dominate, Ben Simmons makes his best game in a Nets shirt. Cavs demolish Miami.

Phoenix Suns (10-6) – New York Knicks (8-9) 116:95 (BOXSCORE)

• Again no Chris Paul (heel injury), but a balanced team performance and an opponent who hardly hit a stable door in the second half. That was the Suns recipe for success Sunday night, as they bounced back from their record-setting loss to the Jazz.
• The hosts won the second half 61:42, the Knicks shooting just 34% from the field after halftime (including 2/12 from three). This made it easy for Phoenix to gradually withdraw. Among other things, an 11-2 run with which the Suns closed the third quarter and another 11-0 run in the fourth were useful.
• The final run was fueled by more 3-pointers by Damion Lee (15 points off the bench, 4/6 from three) and Cameron Payne (21, 7 rebounds, 9 assists) to extend the lead to 26 points and game over. Payne became the Suns’ leading scorer, followed by Devin Booker (20, 5/8 three). A total of six Suns players have scored at least 13 points.
• “We played well in the first half, but then we had a meltdown,” acknowledged Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. And: “The rebound was a big problem.” The Suns won the duel on the boards 60:39, including 22 (!) Offensive rebounds. Jalen Brunson was by far the better knickerbocker (27, 11/21 FG), while co-stars Julius Randle (9, 4/11 FG) and RJ Barrett (12, 3/11 FG) didn’t do much. Isaiah Hartenstein started with 15 minutes and 7 points and 3 rebounds.

Washington Wizards (10-7) – Charlotte Hornets (4-14) 106:102 (BOXSCORE)

• Six wins out of seven games, the Wizards train has outpaced even the Hornets. The road to this success has been a bit bumpy. The Wizards offense faltered every quarter before Kyle Kuzma picked up the pace in the final quarter. But Washington was dealing with an injury to Bradley Beal, who limped off the field at the last minute with a sore thigh.
• 35, 24, 18: This was the chronological point tally for the Wizards in the first three quarters, in which they played to an early double-digit lead. However, Kuzma gave the home side some breathing space in the final half (+8) before Terry Rozier brought the score back to -2 with just under 10 seconds remaining. Then Beal had to leave the field, but that didn’t change the final result. The Wizards took home the win on the free throw line.
• Kuzma scored 11 of his 28 points (4/8 3-pointers, plus 10 rebounds and 5 assists) in the fourth quarter, while Beal had 26 points, 5 assists and 5 steals before the injury. It is currently uncertain whether and how long the guard will be out. Kristaps Porzingis didn’t have his best night (12 and 5 blocks, but 4/19 FG), Deni Avdija scored a double-double (12 and 13 rebounds).
• For the Hornets, who are still without LaMelo Ball (ankle), Rozier failed to get into the breach at his usual level (8, 3/14 FG, 0/6 triples). In return, Kelly Oubre Jr. earned the honor of being the team’s leading scorer (23, 10/20 FGs, 1/7 threes), Gordon Hayward had 20 points, and Kai Jones impressed with a Reverse hammer.