San Francisco, United States—Steph Curry sealed a stunning late fightback to help the Golden State Warriors to a 120-112 overtime victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday (Thursday Philippine time).
Curry scored eight of the final 11 points, including a superb late three-pointer, to finish with a 25-point haul and complete a remarkable comeback at San Francisco’s Chase Center.
The Warriors had looked to be heading for a heavy defeat after Miami surged into a 61-46 half-time lead.
Miami maintained that cushion for much of the second half, and led by a hefty 14-point margin at 99-85 with just over six minutes remaining.
But after struggling to find their range throughout, the Warriors suddenly discovered their shooting touch and blitzed Miami 35-13 over the remainder of the game.
Jazz roll on
Elsewhere Wednesday, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert led the way as the Utah Jazz produced a devastating second-half scoring display to rout a depleted Los Angeles Clippers 114-96 at the Staples Center.
Mitchell and French international Gobert combined for 47 points to give Utah a ninth straight victory and extend the team’s lead to 24-5 at the top of the Western Conference.
The Clippers, missing the injured Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, had scraped their way into a 51-46 lead at half-time, with 14 points from Lou Williams helping set up a five-point cushion.
In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid returned from injury as the 76ers ended their three-game losing streak with a 118-113 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Embiid, who had missed Monday’s defeat to Utah with a sore back, delivered 31 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists at the Wells Fargo Center.
The 26-year-old Cameroon international was backed by Seth Curry with 25 points and Tobias Harris, who finished with 24.
Australian star Ben Simmons, who had erupted for 42 points in Monday’s defeat against the Jazz, was sidelined with stomach flu.
The Sixers now lead the Eastern Conference with 19 wins against 10 defeats, ahead of the second-placed Brooklyn Nets (18-12) and Milwaukee Bucks, who are third with a 16-12 record.
Grant haul in vain
In other games Wednesday, Jerami Grant posted a career-high 43 points but it wasn’t enough to stop the Detroit Pistons falling to a 105-102 defeat against Chicago in a hastily rearranged fixture added to the schedule after a flurry of Covid-19 postponements.
Grant made 15 of 25 from the field with four three-pointers, as well as perfect nine-from-fine from the free throw line.
The Bulls chalked up the win though courtesy of 37 points from Zach LaVine, while Wendell Carter Jr. had 18 points and Patrick Williams 15 points.
In Washington, Davis Bertans scored 35 from the bench and Bradley Beal had 25 points as the Wizards upset the Denver Nuggets 130-128.
Russell Westbrook bagged the seventh triple double of his Wizards career with 12 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists.
Curry, who made only eight of 25 attempts from the field, was backed with 26 points from Kent Bazemore off the bench, while Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre each had 23 points.
“Everyone was missing shots from all over the court, even wide open ones,” Curry said. “That’s just basketball for you. It humbles you. But if you put the work in, eventually they’ll fall. Thankfully they did.”
Bam Adebayo led the Miami scoring with 24 points while Jimmy Butler added a triple double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Clippers’ hopes were snuffed out in a one-sided second half as Utah cut loose, outscoring the home team 68-45 in the third and fourth quarters.
Mitchell finished with 24 points while Gobert had 23. Jordan Clarkson delivered another useful cameo off the bench with 18 points including four three-pointers.
