Stephen Curry nets 40, nine 3s as Warriors rally past Cavaliers

Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Stephen Curry totaled 40 points and made nine 3-pointers for the second-consecutive game to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 104-89 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors improved to an NBA-best 13-2.

Curry scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and made 15 of 27 shots overall in the win Thursday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

The Warriors guard averaged 36 points per game over his last six appearances. He leads the NBA with 29.5 points per game this season.

''We're pretty good at wearing teams down on both ends of the floor," Curry told reporters.

"They have to chase me around, with a lot of screens and movement on offense. I had the best vantage point of [teammates] getting us going. It was wild to watch our ball pressure and turning up our energy."

The game featured 13 lead changes and was tied five times. The Warriors edged the Cavaliers 48-36 in points in the paint and 38-20 in points off the bench. They also forced 17 turnovers. Cavaliers guard Darius Garland scored 25 points in the loss.

The Warriors outscored the Cavaliers 36-8 in the fourth quarter.

''Stephen Curry is a hell of a basketball player,'' Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. ''The shots he was making weren't easy shots, but they know how to create them.

"Obviously, he's got the skill-set to make them and Draymond [Green] him have unbelievable synergy."

Curry and Nemanja Bjelica scored nine points apiece in the first 12 minutes, but the Cavaliers took a 29-27 lead into the second quarter. The Cavaliers outscored the Warriors 25-24 in the second and 27-17 in the third to take an 81-68 lead into the fourth.

Curry made three-consecutive 3-pointers and the Warriors went on a 17-0 run to start the final frame. The run helped the Warriors gain an 85-81 edge with 6:30 remaining. They never trailed again.

Garland completed an and-1 sequence to cut the deficit to one point 10 seconds later, ending the Warriors run. The Warriors responded with a 7-2 run to push their lead back to six points. They outscored the Cavaliers 12-1 over the final 2:47 to seal the victory.

Bjelica and Andrew Wiggins scored 14 and 12 points, respectively, for the Warriors. Damion Lee also scored 11 points off the Warriors bench.

Kevin Love and Dean Wade scored 17 points apiece for the Cavaliers. Isaac Okoro and Ricky Rubio scored 10 points apiece in the loss.

The Warriors face the Detroit Pistons (4-10) at 7 p.m. EST Friday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Cavaliers (9-8) host the Brooklyn Nets (11-5) at 7 p.m. Monday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.