Warriors look to win 22nd straight; Cavs looking lost

Alec Brzezinski

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Warriors look to win 22nd straight; Cavs looking lost image

Stephen Curry and the Warriors cleared one big hurdle Saturday when they beat the Raptors 112-109 on the road to remain undefeated.

After finishing the first quarter with an 11-point lead, Golden State (21-0) quietly let Toronto back into the game. But Curry and Klay Thompson helped the Warriors win the free throw battle at the end of the fourth quarter to keep their record winning streak alive.

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Curry scored a game-high 44 points on 14 of 24 shooting, including a couple big threes late in the game. He also made 9 of 15 from beyond the arc and dished out seven assists. Some of those assists went to Thompson, who finished with 26 points on 6 of 9 shooting from 3-point range.

Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry went toe-to-toe with Curry throughout most of the game. Lowry finished with a career-high 41 points on 14 of 26 shooting with seven assists and four steals. That performance would have been good enough to beat most teams on most nights.

Golden State fans were holding their breath in the second quarter when Curry left the court clutching his face following a collision with Raptors forward DeMarre Carroll. The Warriors had to use a timeout, but Curry returned shortly after the hit.

Here's what else happened Saturday around the NBA:

Spurs use stifling defense to suffocate opponents:

This shouldn't come as a surprise from a Gregg Popovich-led team, but San Antonio (17-4) has been even better than expected on the defensive end of the court. After beating the Celtics 108-105 on Saturday, the Spurs have won eight of their last nine games and have only allowed 90-plus points twice during that stretch. 

The Spurs rank first in opponent scoring per game and are fourth in team rebounding. As the season goes on, guys like Tony Parker and Tim Duncan may not be able to give as much on the offensive end, but they will always be steady defenders.

Plus, the Spurs' aging stars have already taken a backseat to Kawhi Leonard offensively, and the 24-year-old small forward has answered the call. Leonard has scored double-figure points in all 20 games he suited up in this season as he now averages 21.9 points per game. Despite the success, Leonard is still improving and could rise into superstar level in the not-too-distant future.

Highlights:

Heat guard Gerald Green didn't waste much time producing highlights against the Cavaliers.

Paul George executes a flawless 360 slam en route to scoring 48 points in the Pacers' 122-119 overtime loss against the Jazz.

Blake Griffin gets to the hole in a hurry:

Studs of the night:

Rockets' stars James Harden and Dwight Howard looked like vintage versions of themselves in Saturday's 120-113 win against the Kings. Harden scored a game-high 31 points while hitting 5 of 6 from beyond the arc. Howard scored 22 points on 7 of 9 shooting. He also grabbed 18 rebounds and forced DeMarcus Cousins to foul out with only 14 points.

Dud of the night:

What a difference a couple of days makes. Just last week, Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love was in the early MVP discussion after consistently putting up big numbers. But Love looked lost Saturday even though LeBron James was inactive and finished with just five points on 2 of 11 shooting in 22 minutes. Cleveland, now losers of three straight games, needs Love to re-discover his form in a hurry.

What's Next: (All times Eastern)

Suns (8-12) at Grizzlies (11-9) 3:30 p.m. — Offense meets defense in this Western Conference showdown. The Suns feature an explosive backcourt with point guard Brandon Knight and combo guard Eric Bledsoe, but Memphis has been playing better since its rough start.

Warriors (21-0) at Nets (5-14) 6 p.m. — This may be a mismatch on paper, but every game the Warriors win comes with more pressure. Stephen Curry looks unstoppable right now, and the Nets nearly beat the Warriors in Oakland, Calif. earlier this season.

Alec Brzezinski