LOS ANGELES (AP) – Stephen Curry scored 28 points, DeMarcus Cousins added 14 before fouling out of his Warriors debut after being sidelined for nearly a year, and Golden State pulled away in the third quarter to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 112-94 on Friday night for its seventh straight victory and sixth in a row on the road.
The Warriors shot just 9 of 37 on 3-pointers on a night when Curry made only three from long range. Fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson missed all four of his 3-point attempts.
Cousins shot 5 for 11 from the floor and finished with six rebounds and three assists during his first game since Jan. 26, 2018, when he ruptured his left Achilles tendon playing for New Orleans. He missed the rest of last season, including nine playoff games for the Pelicans. The Warriors signed him last July.
With Cousins finally in the lineup, Golden State became the first team in 42 years to start five All-Stars from the previous season.
Instead of his usual scowl, Cousins left the court after his sixth foul at 8:51 of the fourth smiling and high-fiving his new teammates. Curry and Kevin Durant, who scored 24 points, looked happy, too.
Cousins went out with a bang. He got his fifth foul just 30 seconds into the fourth and then made two consecutive 3-pointers – holding up three fingers – that extended the Warriors’ lead to 87-72.
Curry scored 14 of Golden State’s 29 points in the third, including their final eight for an 81-72 lead.
CELTICS 122, GRIZZLIES 116
In Boston, Kyrie Irving scored 20 of his 38 points in the third quarter and Boston held off Memphis.
Irving also had 11 assists and seven rebounds to help Boston win ints second straight after dropping three in a row. Marcus Smart added 20 points and Al Horford had 18
Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with 26 points. They have lost 10 of 11 overall, and six in a row on the road.
NETS 117, MAGIC 115
In Orlando, D’Angelo Russell matched his career high with 40 points and the Brooklyn Nets overcame a 21-point deficit to beat the Orlando Magic 117-115 on Friday night.
Russell’s 3-pointer with 27.1 seconds left put the Nets up for the first time since they led 2-0. After missed free throws by both teams left Brooklyn with a two-point lead, Evan Fournier missed a shot in the lane that would have tied it for Orlando.
