The Friday late (Nov. 24) games in the NBA were all decided by double-digits; the outcomes ranged from 12 to 49 points. But the early games included multiple second-half comebacks and another LeBron James dominant performance.
Warriors (14-5) defeat Bulls (3-14) - 143-94
Heading into the matchup versus Chicago, the Warriors were coming off a four-game road trip where they went 2-2 and suffered an embarrassing loss to the Thunder. Before the game, it was announced that Kevin Durant was out with a lingering ankle injury and Draymond Green was sitting for rest.
Even with the two starters missing, it would have been the upset of the season if the Bulls somehow beat the Warriors on their home turf; and it looked like Chicago might have a chance after taking a three-point first quarter lead.
But Golden State superstar Steph Curry lit up the night in the second quarter, outscoring the Bulls by himself 26-24. Curry displayed an array of skills, scoring on jumpers, pull-ups, layups, and three-pointers. Check out the highlights:
Following the virtuoso performance by Curry, it was game/set/match. A Warriors’ 21-point halftime lead swelled to 44 by the end of the third quarter. The Golden State reserves pushed the final margin to 49. Curry poured in 33 points in 27 minutes, and Klay Thompson dropped 29 points in 26 minutes.
Nuggets (11-8) defeat Grizzlies (7-11) - 104-92
The injury bug has bitten both of these teams. Denver recently lost All-Star Paul Milsap for three months with a wrist injury and subsequently got blown out by the Houston Rockets. The loss of Memphis' point guard Mike Conley has been completely devastating for the Grizzlies. Memphis was on a six-game losing streak coming into the game, and the loss to Denver made it seven.
The Nuggets jumped out to a nine-point first quarter lead and extended that number to sixteen by halftime. But the Grizzlies are a tough-minded, resilient team and gave this game everything they had. The Denver lead reached 19 points in the third quarter, but Memphis went on an incredible run to cut the deficit to two. However, Nuggets’ rising star Nikola Jokic opened the final period with two buckets, and Denver never looked back.
Jokic finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists.
Pelicans (11-8) defeat Suns (7-13) - 115-89
The Suns didn’t start the game off horribly; they were actually leading by four points with 6:18 left in the first quarter. But from there, Phoenix totally fell apart. New Orleans went on a 16-2 run to take a 33-21 lead. The Pelicans dominated the next period as well, outscoring the Suns 39-21 to go up by 30 at halftime.
New Orleans’ two big men, DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis, proved to be way too much for Phoenix to handle in the 26-point victory. Davis had 23 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes, while Cousins added 19 points and 10 rebounds in 30 minutes.
