Curry hurt as Warriors walloped

OAKLAND, California - Stephen Curry was counting on staying healthy after injuries limited him to 51 games last season, and everything was going according to plan for the Golden State star - until Thursday night.

The two-time NBA MVP left with a leg injury and the Warriors were unable to recover in a 134-111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks that snapped their eight-game winning streak.

"He seems good to me. I've got to talk to him tomorrow and see how he's doing," teammate Kevin Durant said.

Eric Bledsoe scored seven straight points during Milwaukee's big third quarter and finished with 26.

Giannis Antetokounmpo added 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists as the Bucks handed the Warriors their first home loss of the season.

The two-time defending champions were already missing All-Star Draymond Green, then lost Curry midway through the third when he strained the adductor muscle in his left leg and went to the locker room. He did not return.

Curry grabbed at his inner thigh after trying to contest Bledsoe's shot in transition at the 6:50 mark of the third.

He was receiving treatment postgame and is expected to have an MRI on Friday.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 24 points and Durant had 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

Curry scored 10 points in his second straight game below 20 after getting at least 23 in every game so far this season - including five 30-point performances and a 51-point outing in three quarters. He dished out six assists in 26 minutes.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said his players took the floor with "mindless intent" and then hurt themselves with persistent foul trouble.

"Sometimes you've got to get hit in the mouth in this league to remind you how hard it is to win a game," he said.

Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points and Khris Middleton had 17 points and six assists as Milwaukee (9-2) won for the second straight time at Oracle Arena after a 116-107 victory on March 29.

The Bucks outscored the Warriors 41-28 in the third and shot 65 percent inside the arc (43 of 66) overall.

"To come in here and play the defending champs and have a win like this, it's huge," Brogdon said.

"It's huge for our confidence. I think it sends a message around the league, but we have to continue to play hard every night and play on both ends."

Antetokounmpo had 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block by halftime as the Bucks led 64-51 at the break.

Bledsoe hit back-to-back layups to put the Bucks ahead 84-64 midway through the third then answered Curry's jumper with a 3-pointer the next time down.

Donte DiVincenzo's basket at the 4:06 mark made it 93-69 and Kerr called a timeout.

Jordan Bell had four points and five rebounds for the Warriors while moving into the starting lineup in place of Green, sidelined after spraining his right foot and toe in the first half of Monday's win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Golden State (10-2) is still tied for the second-best start in franchise history behind the 2015-16 team that began 24-0. The Warriors dropped to 6-1 at home.

"They just played hungrier than us," Thompson said. "It was just an ugly night at the office."

Irving sparks Celtics to OT win

When their shots finally started to fall, the Boston Celtics couldn't be contained.

Kyrie Irving scored 18 of his season-high 39 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as Boston rallied from a 22-point deficit for a 116-109 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night in Phoenix.

Irving scored Boston's first six points in the extra period, and Marcus Morris finished with 17 against his former team - including the tying 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in regulation off a feed from Irving.

Morris hit from the top of the arc to tie it at 100. Jaylen Brown added 17 points, all after halftime, for the Celtics (7-4).

"Guys like Kyrie, he is going to have all the focus on him," Morris said. "I worked on my 3-pointers extensively."

Devin Booker paced the Suns (2-9) with a season-high 38 points while TJ Warren had 29.

The Celtics ended a two-game skid, while the Suns have lost nine of 10.

Booker scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and seven in OT, but Phoenix couldn't hold onto a 16-point lead with 6:13 to play in regulation.

Associated Press

(China Daily 11/10/2018 page12)