NBA ROUND-UP: Steph Curry’s return is soured as the Warriors are stunned by a depleted Suns team

Mikal Bridges had 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists and the Suns dominated in Stephen Curry’s return from injury as Phoenix beat the Golden State Warriors for the third time this season, 125-113 on Tuesday night to break a six -worst season of the season. game skating.

Former Warriors guard Damion Lee received his championship ring in a pregame ceremony from his brother-in-law Curry, then scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds against his former team. He made six free throws in the final 1:13 and was 14 of 14 from the line overall.

Duane Washington Jr. scored 21 points, Dario Saric chipped in with 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and Torrey Craig had 12 points and 14 rebounds for a deep Phoenix team missing four of five starters and six of eight regulars. .

Curry returned from an 11-game absence with a partially dislocated left shoulder to score 24 points on 8-of-22 shooting. Klay Thompson had 29 points with six 3-pointers: four 3-pointers and 14 points in the first quarter alone. Jordan Poole’s 3 with 1:28 remaining cut it to 117-111, and he scored 27 points.

While Warriors coach Steve Kerr noted that “going 6-5 without Steph is an achievement,” the reigning NBA Finals MVP couldn’t do it all against a Phoenix team that doesn’t count. with injured stars Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton and Cameron Johnson. The first two meetings in the desert were lopsided, with the Suns winning 134-105 and 130-119.

The Warriors have lost three in a row after a season-best five-game winning streak, capping an eight-game homestand that tied the longest in franchise history.

Andre Iguodala was ejected with 4:30 remaining in his second game played this season. But the defending champions reunited their starting five for the first time in weeks.

Thompson was a late scratch with pain in his surgically repaired left knee for a 115-101 loss to the Magic on Saturday night as the Warriors lost back-to-back home games for the first time all season. Now they have to hit the road again trying to improve on their 3-16 record outside of Chase Center.

HEAT 112, THUNDER 111

Jimmy Butler’s three-point play with 12.9 seconds left capped an NBA-record performance by the Miami Heat and gave them a 112-111 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

Butler’s free throw made the Heat 40-of-40 from the foul line, breaking Utah’s 39-of-39 mark against Portland on December 7, 1982.

Butler was 23-for-23 from the line, tying for the second-most making without a miss in NBA history. James Harden made 24 without a miss for Houston on December 3, 2019, and Dirk Nowitzki made 24 without a miss for Dallas in a playoff game against the Thunder on May 17, 2011. Dominique Wilkins also went 23 for 23 in a game in 1992. .

76ERS 147, PISTONS 116

Joel Embiid rocked the braids and had 36 points and 11 rebounds, James Harden added a second straight triple-double and Philadelphia defeated Detroit.

Harden finished with 16 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds.

Embiid returned from a three-game absence with a sore left foot in a new look. But it was the same dominating performance from last season’s NBA scoring champion.

Two days after Harden also posted a triple-double in the 76ers’ win at Detroit, the Sixers built a 24-point first-half lead.

Saddiq Bey, Jaden Ivey and Rodney McGruder each had 17 points for Detroit.

RAPTOR 132, HORNETS 120

Pascal Siakam scored 28 points, Gary Trent Jr. had 24 and Toronto beat Charlotte for its second straight win.

OG Anunoby scored 22 points, matching his career high with six 3-pointers. The Raptors made a season-high 20 3-pointers on 44 attempts.

Terry Rozier scored 33 points and LaMelo Ball had 24 points and a season-high 14 assists for Charlotte. The Hornets lost for the fifth time in six games.

JAZZ 116, GENTLEMEN 114

Donovan Mitchell scored 46 points in his return to Utah, but the Jazz rallied late behind Jordan Clarkson to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-114 on Tuesday night.

Clarkson scored 32 points, including five 3-pointers, and made nine straight down the stretch to fuel a decisive 13-0 run.

Lauri Markkanen had 25 points and 16 rebounds for the Jazz. Malik Beasley, Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker each added 13 as Utah won for the second time in nine games.

Mitchell, who spent his first five seasons with Utah, also had six assists and three steals. Darius Garland added 21 points and six assists for Cleveland. Evan Mobley and Caris LeVert each had 12 points.

MAGIC 109, TRAIL BLAZERS 106

Franz Wagner scored 29 points, Wendell Carter Jr. added 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Orlando Magic beat the Portland Trail Blazers 109-106 on Tuesday night.

Damian Lillard had 30 points for the Blazers, who lost for the fourth straight time.

The Magic led 19 points in the first half, but the Blazers closed the gap in the second quarter to tie it at 50 at halftime.

After trailing 82-73 early in the fourth quarter, Portland got within 89-84 on a layup by Anfernee Simons. Orlando stayed ahead, going up 104-94 on Wagner’s 3-pointer with 3:35 to play.

CLIPPERS 113, MAVERICKS 101

Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.

Norman Powell made a great contribution off the bench by scoring 27 points.

Luca Doncic continued his incredible season even in loss scoring 43 points and finishing the night with more than double the points of the closest teammate.