It wasn’t their finest work but the league-best Golden State Warriors will take it, and continue their march into the record books.
Reigning league MVP Stephen Curry scored 26 points, Draymond Green had 15 with 16 rebounds and nine assists, leading the Warriors to a 102-94 victory over the stubborn Washington Wizards. The win extended their NBA-record home winning streak to 54-36-0 this season at Oracle Arena.
“We keep doing what we’re doing and fighting,” said Curry, who knocked down six 3-pointers in the Warriors’ 12th win in the last 13 games.
The defending NBA Champs (67-7) need to win six of their final eight games to break the all-time mark of 72 regular-season victories owned by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. “Getting to 73 would be special because you have to understand they’re still talking about that Bulls team,” Curry explained. “To have a realistic shot at 73 in a season, we want to finish strong and hope to accomplish that.”
Klay Thompson had a quiet 16 points while Harrison Barnes netted 14 with nine boards as Golden State reduced its magic number to four to clinch the top seed in the post-season.
After struggling through the most of the first half, the Warriors closed on a 12-0, with Curry scoring eight to go ahead 49-46 at the break.
“We were stuck in mud for a while but we went small to get some energy and Steph got going,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I thought that was the key surge in the game.”
Golden State led 74-72 before going on a 13-1 run bridging the end of the third quarter and fourth to open up a 14-point cushion with 9:30 remaining.
Ahead by 19 with four minutes left, the Warriors’ margin was cut to 100-94 in the final minute before holding on.
“It’s tough to close out teams, especially this late in the season,” Curry concluded. Bradley Beal scored 17 points, and Markieff Morris had 15 for the Wizards (36-38), who dropped three games behind Indiana for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Elsewhere:
• Houston Rockets 106, Cleveland Cavaliers 100: James Harden had 18 of his 27 points in the decisive 35-16 fourth quarter, and the visiting Rockets stormed from down 20 to stun the Cavaliers, who gave LeBron James the night off.
Michael Beasley scored 17 points for Houston (37-38), which moved a half game ahead of idle Dallas for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. Kyrie Irving netted 31 points, and Tristan Thompson had 16 with 10 rebounds for East-best Cleveland (55-22), which shot just 36 per cent in the stunner.
• Detroit Pistons 88, Oklahoma City Thunder 82: Marcus Morris scored 24 points, Andre Drummond had 13 with 15 rebounds and the host Pistons capitalized on the absence of Kevin Durant to snap the Thunder’s season-high eight-game winning streak.
The Pistons’ (40-35) sixth victory in the last seven outings pushed them into the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. Russell Westbrook tossed in 24 points for playoff-bound Oklahoma City (52-23), which rested starters Durant and Serge Ibaka.
• Chicago Bulls 98, Indiana Pacers 96: Jimmy Butler buried the tie-breaking 17-foot jumper with 3.7 seconds left, and the visiting Bulls edged the Pacers to stop a four-game slide.
Montenegrin Nikola Mirotic scored 28 points with seven triples, and Butler netted 14 as Chicago (37-37) pulled within two games of Indiana for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. Paul George led Indiana (39-35) with 20 points.
• Orlando Magic 139, Brooklyn Nets 105:  Reserve Andrew Nicholson led eight players in double figures with 24 points on 9-of-9 shooting, Aaron Gordon had 20, and the Magic (31-43) shot a sizzling 61.6 per cent from the field to rout the visiting Nets. The Nets (21-53) were led by reserve forward Thomas Robinson’s 18 points.
• Charlotte Hornets 100, Philadelphia 76ers 85: Frenchman Nicolas Batum had his second triple-double of the season with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, and the visiting Hornets (43-31) handed the league-worst Sixers their 10th straight loss and 23 in the last 24. Robert Covington led Philadelphia (9-66) with 18 points.