Just when we thought the Bucks may have had the Warriors' number again Friday at Oracle Arena, the defending NBA champions did what they're capable of doing every night — scoring points in bunches.
Golden State (26-1) chased the Bucks nearly the entire night before outscoring them 36-19 in the fourth quarter for a 121-112 win. The victory comes just six days after the Bucks handed Warriors their only loss of the season.
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"It was just a game of pride for our team especially," Festus Ezeli told CSN Bay Area after the game. "After how we lost at their place we feel like we didn’t play like we're supposed to. … I think we came in tonight with an idea of revenge, but we need to stick to a game plan. We got back to a team concept in the second half and played like ourselves."
Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 27 points, while Splash Brother Stephen Curry was close behind with 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Elsewhere in the Western Conference, the Spurs were playing near-flawless basketball to survive the Clippers’ best punch for a 115-107 win.
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Los Angeles’ duo of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin combined for 52 points in a game in which the Clippers shot 50 percent from the field, but Tony Parker scored 10 of his 21 points in the deciding fourth quarter as the home team surged ahead with an 11-0 run to open the frame.
“The Clips are a hell of a team,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after the game. “They’re used to winning, so when you can win a game like that it’s a good measuring stick.”
LaMarcus Aldridge had 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Kawhi Leonard (19), Tim Duncan (14) and Danny Green (10) all scored in double figures.
Popovich employed the “Hack-a-Jordan” defensive scheme much of the second half with the Clippers' offense running hot, sending DeAndre Jordan to the free-throw line 10 times. He went 8 of 20 from the charity stripe (a tick above his 39 percent average for the season) and finished the game with 16 points and 17 rebounds.
San Antonio has won five straight games and nine of its last 10 to improve to 23-5.
Studs of the Night
Andre Drummond not only led the Pistons to a marathon victory over the Bulls, 147-144 in four overtimes, he did so after getting his fifth foul with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Detroit big man finished with 33 points and 21 rebounds in the win.
Karl-Anthony Towns may be the darling in Minnesota with his stellar rookie campaign, but let's not forget about last year's top pick, Andrew Wiggins, who filled up the stat sheet with 32 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a 99-95 Timberwolves win over the Kings.
Tobias Harris paced the Magic to a 104-94 win over the Trail Blazers with his seventh double-double of the season, scoring 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting and pulling down 12 rebounds. The fifth-year man out of Tennessee also added three steals to help push the Magic to a 15-11 record.
Dud of the Night
The Raptors beat the Heat 108-94 to rebound from an overtime loss to the Hornets on Thursday. It was the first time the Raptors beat the Heat since Chris Bosh left Toronto for South Beach, and Bosh didn't do much to prevent the feat Friday. Bosh scored just 11 points and grabbed a measly four rebounds in 29 minutes — both well below his season averages of 17.3 points and 8.4 rebounds.
Highlights
The Knicks looked smooth when Carmelo Anthony passed to Kristaps Porzingis, who whipped a behind-the-back pass to Robin Lopez under the basket. But Nerlens Noel provided the lone highlight of the night for the 76ers (1-27) when he took Lopez’s casual dunk attempt and shoved it back to the ground. The Knicks (13-14) still managed a 107-97 win.
Reggie Jackson is easy to find in the box score, scoring 31 points and dishing out 13 assists in the Pistons' win over the Bulls, but Doug McDermott is still looking for him after Jackson lost him on this drive to the basket.
Okay, Reggie Jackson! https://t.co/f5CMncocLm
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) December 19, 2015Looking ahead (all times Eastern):
Bulls (15-9) at Knicks (13-14), 7:30 p.m.: The Knicks return to Madison Square Garden as winners of three in a row, while the Bulls have a quick turnaround from Friday’s four-overtime loss to Detroit. The Knicks are getting big contributions from bench players like Derrick Williams and Lance Thomas, while Porzingis and Arron Afflalo are taking some of the scoring burden off Anthony. New York seems primed to get a win over one of the NBA's fellow marquee franchises.
Clippers (16-11) at Rockets (13-14), 8 p.m.: The Clippers looked good Friday despite losing to the Spurs, but the Rockets have won eight of their last 12 games and seem to be finding the form that made them preseason favorites to challenge the Warriors in the Western Conference. Saturday will pit a hot, possibly angry, Clippers offensive attack against a James Harden-led team that’s building confidence.