Klay Thompson responded to not being in the starting lineup by scoring a season-high 35 points and the Golden State Warriors survived a late rally to earn a 140-137 win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night in Salt Lake City.
Thompson thrived as a backup after making 727 consecutive regular-season starts, dating back to March 2012 when he was a rookie. He scored 10 points in a key stretch of the first quarter, shot 13 of 22 from the floor and hit seven 3-pointers to send the Warriors into the All-Star break on a winning note.
The Warriors had two key milestones in the win, their sixth in seven outings. Steve Kerr picked up his 500th victory as a head coach and Thompson became the sixth player in Warriors history to surpass 15,000 points.
Draymond Green scored a season-high 23 and Andrew Wiggins added 19 points for the Warriors. Collin Sexton logged 35 points and nine assists while rookie Keyonte George contributed a season-high 33 points with six assists as Utah dropped its fourth game in a row.
Grizzlies 113, Bucks 110
Ziaire Williams and rookie GG Jackson scored 27 points apiece as short-handed Memphis withstood a late rally by visiting Milwaukee.
Memphis held on for the victory after Damian Lillard missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer. The Grizzlies won their second game in a row following a nine-game skid. Williams set a career high with his point total, while Jackson matched his career high.
Memphis had 10 players out due to injuries and only seven Grizzlies scored. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 35 points and 12 assists, and Lillard added 24 points.
Timberwolves 128, Trail Blazers 91
Anthony Edwards scored 34 points to finish a two-game scoring spree against Portland as visiting Minnesota rolled to victory.
Edwards scored 41 points on Tuesday in Portland as Minnesota won 121-109 in the opener of the two-game set. On Thursday, he made 12 of 21 shots and had seven assists and six rebounds for the Timberwolves, who won the final four contests of a five-game road trip.
Jerami Grant scored 20 points and Scoot Henderson added 15 points for the Trail Blazers, who trailed by as many as 38 while losing their sixth consecutive game.
–Field Level Media
