Warriors 115, Suns 86
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Point guard Stephen Curry recorded career-highs in rebounds and assists as part of his third NBA triple-double Friday night, highlighting the Golden State Warriors' 115-86 shellacking of the Phoenix Suns.
Despite hitting only five of his 17 shots, including just one of six from 3-point range, Curry accumulated 13 rebounds and 16 assists to go with 14 points.
The fifth-year veteran's previous career-best for rebounds in a game had been 11, which he had accomplished twice, including earlier this season against Oklahoma City. He recorded 15 assists on four occasions, one coming last week against San Antonio.
Curry had six of his points and four of his assists in the final 7:29 of the first half, during which the Warriors (18-13) broke open a tight game with a 25-8 run, creating a 59-40 halftime advantage.
Curry, who had nine rebounds and nine assists in the first half, got his 10th assist just 70 seconds into the second half on a David Lee dunk.
His 10th rebound just 42 seconds later secured his second triple-double of the season.
Curry had four rebounds and two assists in the first 5:57 of the third quarter as the Warriors extended their halftime lead to 22 and coasted home en route to their fourth consecutive win.
Shooting guard Klay Thompson had 21 points and Lee 17 to lead the Warriors. But on a night when Curry enjoyed a double-figure rebounding performance, Lee's streak of 10 consecutive games with 10 or more rebounds ended when he pulled just seven.
Reserve forwards Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green were the fourth and fifth Warriors to produce double-figures, scoring with 11 points apiece, helping send Golden State off on an 11-day, seven-game trip on a winning note.
Small forward PJ Tucker was the only player in double figures with 11 for the Suns (17-11), who shot just 36.0 percent from the field and missed 19 of their 23 3-point attempts en route to their lowest scoring game of the season.
The Suns had shot 13-for-27 from 3-point range in beating the Warriors 106-102 on Dec. 15 in Phoenix.
The 29-point margin of defeat was Phoenix's biggest of the season, surpassing a 110-91 loss at Memphis on Dec. 3. The Suns had not trailed by more than 21 this season.
The Suns, who took the court Friday having won eight of nine, return home to host Philadelphia in the second half of a back-to-back Saturday night.
NOTES: Warriors PG Stephen Curry entered the game needing one 3-pointer to tie his coach, Mark Jackson, for 3's in a career with 734. Asked before the game if he knew about his pending decline on the NBA's all-time list, Jackson chuckled and claimed, "I'm going to try to run a lot of pick-and-roll actions where he's inside the 3-point line." ... Frontcourt rivals PF Channing Frye of the Suns and PF David Lee of the Warriors were both first-round picks of the New York Knicks in 2005. Frye went eighth, Lee 30th. ... One season after finishing 22 games behind the Warriors in the standings, the Suns began Friday 1 1/2 games ahead of their Pacific Division rivals. ... Asked if the fast start has his team thinking playoffs after having finished with the worst record in the Western Conference last season, Suns coach Jeff Hornacek assured before the game, "We're not looking that far ahead. But these guys like the challenge and playing this Golden State team is a big challenge for them." ... The Suns and Warriors are two of just five teams whose top two scorers are guards. The others are New Orleans, Toronto and Charlotte.
