OAKLAND – Bothered, but not bewildered by a scrappy Miami defense, the Warriors summoned the resolve to put away the Heat and take a 111-103 victory Monday night at Oracle Arena.
Four Warriors scored in double figures, led by a game-high 31 points from Stephen Curry, as they lifted their record to 36-2 – best in NBA history – and stayed perfect at home (18-0) this season.
The Warriors have won 36 consecutive home games, tying them with the 1965-66 and 1966-67 76ers for the fourth-longest home win streak in league history.
Draymond Green submitted 22 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, while Klay Thompson flipped in 17 points and Harrison Barnes added 11.
Miami (22-16) was particularly effective defending the 3-point arc, limiting the Warriors to 30.4-percent shooting from deep.
Dwyane Wade scored 20 points to lead six players scoring in double figures for the Heat.
STANDOUT PERFORMER
Sports
The honors go to the bench as a whole, for the Warriors would not have won this game without their substantial support – much of which came on the defensive end.
Barnes’ line: 12 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes, with a plus-18 plus/minus.
Iguodala’s line: nine points and five rebounds in 30 minutes, with a plus-10.
Shaun Livingston’s line: two points, six assists and four rebounds in 17 minutes, with a plus-15.
Marreese Speights scored only six points but was plus-7 in six minutes.
TURNING POINT
After the Heat closed to within three (80-77) at the end of the third quarter, Speights drilled a pair of jumpers to ignite a 12-4 run that that gave the Warriors a 92-81 lead with 7:57 left to play.
Though the Heat rallied late, they got no closer than six (107-101, 45.5 seconds left) the rest of the game.
INJURY UPDATE
Warriors: G Leandro Barbosa (L shoulder sprain) was listed as questionable and declared available prior to tipoff. F James Michael McAdoo (L foot toe sprain) was listed as out.
Heat: G Dwyane Wade (L shoulder strain) was listed as probable and placed in the starting lineup. G Tyler Johnson (L shoulder strain) was listed as questionable and declared available prior to tipoff. F Josh McRoberts (R knee bruise) was listed as out. C Hassan Whiteside (R knee patellar tendinitis) was not on pregame injury report but was declared out prior to tipoff.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Warriors return to action Wednesday night, when they face the Nuggets in Denver. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:05 PST.
