NBA: Golden State Warriors end away curse with Klay Thompson blast - Los Angeles Lakers dominate

The Golden State Warriors’ away streak has finally come to an end – thanks largely to a three-pointer from Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry. The Lakers dominate again, Ben Simmons makes his best game in the Nets jersey. The Cavs demolish Miami.

Phoenix Suns (10-6) – New York Knicks (8-9) 116:95 (BOXSCORE)

Again no Chris Paul (heel injury), but a balanced team performance and an opponent who hardly hit a barn door in the second half. That was the Suns’ recipe for success on Sunday evening, as they recovered from the high-scoring defeat against the Jazz.
The hosts won the second half 61:42, the Knicks only scored 34 percent from the field after the break (including 2/12 threes). This made it easy for Phoenix to gradually pull away. Among other things, an 11-2 run with which the Suns ended the third quarter and another 11-0 run in the fourth was helpful.
The final run was fueled by multiple threes from Damion Lee (15 points off the bench, 4/6 threes) and Cameron Payne (21, 7 rebounds, 9 assists) to increase the lead to 26 points and the game was over. Payne became the Suns’ top scorer, followed by Devin Booker (20, 5/8 threes). A total of six Suns players scored at least 13 points.
“We played well in the first half, but then we had a slump,” recognized Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. And: “The rebounding was a big problem.” The Suns won the duel on the boards 60:39, including 22 (!) offensive rebounds. Jalen Brunson was by far the best knickerbocker (27, 11/21 FG), while co-stars Julius Randle (9, 4/11 FG) and RJ Barrett (12, 3/11 FG) didn’t do much. Isaiah Hartenstein came as a starter on 15 minutes and 7 points and 3 rebounds.

Washington Wizards (10-7) – Charlotte Hornets (4-14) 106:102 (BOXSCORE)

Six wins from seven games, the Wizards train also rolled over the Hornets. The path to this success was a bit bumpy. The Wizards offense faltered with each quarter before Kyle Kuzma got his rhythm back in the final period. But Washington had to cope with an injury to Bradley Beal, who limped off the field in the final minute with a sore thigh.
35, 24, 18 – that was the chronological points tally for the Wizards in the first three quarters, in which they gambled away an early double-digit lead. However, Kuzma gave the home side some breathing room in the last half (+8) before Terry Rozier reduced it back to -2 with just under 10 seconds to go. Then Beal had to leave the field, but that didn’t change the final result. The Wizards brought home the win at the free throw line.
Kuzma scored 11 of his 28 points (4/8 threes, plus 10 rebounds and 5 assists) in the fourth quarter, while Beal had 26 points, 5 assists and 5 steals before his injury. Whether and if so for how long the guard will be out is currently not certain. Kristaps Porzingis didn’t have his best evening (12 and 5 blocks, but 4/19 FG), Deni Avdija grabbed a double-double (12 and 13 rebounds).
For the Hornets, who are still without LaMelo Ball (ankle), Rozier couldn’t step into the breach at his usual level (8, 3/14 FG, 0/6 trebles). In return, Kelly Oubre Jr. earned the honor of being the team’s top scorer (23, 10/20 FG, 1/7 three), Gordon Hayward scored 20 points and Kai Jones impressed with one Reverse-Hammer.

Sacramento Kings (9-6) – Detroit Pistons (3-15) 137:129 (BOXSCORE)

There were calls of “MVP” for De’Aaron Fox, chants of “Light the Beam” and in the end there was actually a sixth win in a row – the Kings had such a winning streak since the 2004/05 season! Fox had a big part in that with 33 points (11/18 FG) and 7 assists, but Kevin Huerter also played a major role in the fourth quarter.
The game was extremely balanced over the full 48 minutes, neither team managed to gain a double-digit lead. But the final minutes belonged only to the Kings. The hosts ended the game with a 18:5 run, including two three-pointers from Huerter. With a minute and a half left, he put Sacramento up +4 from Downtown, Fox then capped it off with a stepback jumper and several free throws.
“He plays the best basketball of his career,” Harrison Barnes praised his teammates, Fox scored 10 points in the last quarter. “He’s playing at All-Star level, both offensively and defensively. He’s been working a lot over the summer.” Barnes was another success factor with 27 points at 8/11 FG, Huerter had 24 points (4/11 threes) and Domantas Sabonis grabbed a double-double (15, 13 rebounds and 7 assists). Malik Monk was after a exaggerated gesture of jubilation and a nudge sent off against his defender.
Rookie Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with 24 points (4/4 threes), followed by Bojan Bogdanovic (21, 8/12 FG). But the bank was also strong, winning the reservists’ duel 55:25. Alec Burks (16), Jalen Duren (12 and 8 rebounds), Cory Joseph (12 and 5 assists) and Kevin Knox (11) were particularly noteworthy.