The Golden State Warriors showed why they are considered the best team in the NBA. Then it all fell apart and it nearly cost them a monster home winning streak.
Retiring Los Angeles guard and future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant may have won the battle on Saturday in his final trip to San Antonio, but it was the Spurs who won the war, thanks to a combined 46 points from their two starting forwards and a pair of huge baskets by point guard Tony Parker down the stretch.
With a Super Bowl-sized stage, a celebrity-filled crowd and two championship contenders on the floor, it felt more like late May in Oracle Arena than early February.
McConnell, a rookie filling in for the injured Ish Smith, scored 17 points for Philadelphia, which earned an eighth win while ending a four-game losing streak.
Golden State is three wins from tying the Chicago Bulls (1995-96) for the longest home winning streak in N.B.A. history and at 46-4 is tied for the best record ever after 50 games.
It didn’t take long for Andrew Wiggins to show the Chicago Bulls just how badly they’re going to miss Jimmy Butler.
Rodney Hood scored 25 points, Gordon Hayward added 22 and the Utah Jazz stretched their season-long winning streak to six games with a 98-89 victory over the reeling Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.
Chandler Parsons scored 26 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in overtime, to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 114-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 26 points and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers 106-102 on Saturday night to remain unbeaten at home.
Closing out games is a challenge for the Indiana Pacers.
Both lost on the road to unranked teams: Oklahoma was surprised by Kansas State, and North Carolina was upset by Notre Dame.
Jahlil Okafor had 22 points and 17 rebounds and Nerlens Noel added 18 points, including a key dunk late in the fourth quarter, to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 103-98 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night.
Kyrie Irving scored 29 points, LeBron James added 27 and the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from two straight losses with a 99-84 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night.
Nicolas Batum had 26 points and 11 rebounds, and the Charlotte Hornets rallied in the second half to beat the Washington Wizards 108-104 on Saturday night.
Antonio Blakeney scored a career-high 31 points, and LSU moved into sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference with an 88-77 victory over struggling Mississippi State on Saturday night.
Damian Lillard had 21 points and 10 assists to lead a balanced scoring attack and the Portland Trail Blazers built a big lead early and rolled to an easy 96-79 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday.
Possibly the most impressive dunk of Vince Carter’s career was during the 2000 Olympics when he literally jumped over Frederic Weis.