NBA wrap: Warriors' Kevin Durant continues dominance over Cavaliers
The Warriors marched into Cleveland on Monday to hand the Cavaliers a 118-108 loss.
Kevin Durant continued his scintillating form against the Cavaliers, established during last season's NBA finals, by scoring a game-high 32 points with eight assists and five rebounds.
The Warriors finished the game with 33 assists and now have 147 30-assist games since Steve Kerr became head coach in 2014-15. Golden State's assist total during that span is three times as many as the next-closest team — the Hawks, who have 49 such games.
Stephen Curry added 23 points and eight assists, playing in just his second game since suffering a second ankle injury in as many months.
Steph Curry throws down the two-handed jam on #PhantomCam! #DubNation pic.twitter.com/eHaHsw2yZV
— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2018
LeBron James led the Cavs with 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but Cleveland continued to struggle offensively as a whole. Isaiah Thomas, still settling in with his new team, scored 19 points on 8-of-21 shooting.
James is now just 41 points away from 30,000 career points, but needs another Cavs star to find his form in a hurry.
With the loss, Cleveland (26-17) has now lost eight of its last 10, including four straight. The Warriors (36-9) continue to lead the Western Conference.
Studs of the Night
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points with a career-high 20 rebounds and six assists in a 104-95 win over the Wizards. Having just lost Sunday night, "The Greek Freak" made sure the Bucks didn't drop two games in row.
Dwight Howard was 9 of 12 from the floor to score 21 points with 17 rebounds in a 118-107 road victory over the Pistons. Howard posted his sixth game of the season with 20-plus points and 15-plus rebounds. Only DeMarcus Cousins (11) and Anthony Davis (eight) have more.
Duds of the Night
The Spurs: Playing without Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio traveled to Atlanta and was handed a rough 102-99 loss by the now 12-31 Hawks. The Spurs' guard duo of Tony Parker and Danny Green only mustered a combined 16 points, leaving too much offensive burden on LaMarcus Aldridge.
Highlight
Joel Embiid established his dominance against the Raptors. Joel Embiid scores 34 PTS and grabs 11 REB to lead the @
sixers to the win at home!#HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/2NnTv3Eejw
— NBA (@NBA) January 15, 2018
Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen reached 100 3-pointers faster than anyone in NBA history.
Lauri Markkanen hit 100 3-pt FG faster than anyone in NBA history. How does he stack up against other notable players? pic.twitter.com/vUyb7zsHmN
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 15, 2018
What's Next
Pelicans (22-20) at Celtics (34-10) 7:30 p.m. ET — Led by the trio of DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, New Orleans may finally live up to its playoff potential. They face a tough road match against the surging Celtics, who have won seven straight games. Boston uses a balanced scoring attack and stifling defense to limit opponents, but they are thin in the front court, which could be a problem against the Pelicans
