Curry too hot for Heat to digest

MIAMI: Golden State’s Stephen Curry scored 42 points and made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to lift the Warriors to a 118-112 win at Miami after a slow start on Wednesday.
The Warriors’ victory in the clash of divisional leaders saw the NBA pacesetters improve to 51-5, while the Heat’s lead in the Southeast Division trimmed to 1-1/2 games.
All the other divisional leaders won: Tony Parker steered San Antonio to victory at Sacramento; Oklahoma City’s stars were to the fore as the Thunder got back to winning ways at Dallas; and LeBron James put in an improved showing as Cleveland cruised past Charlotte.
Golden State trailed Miami by 12 points in the early going but gradually wore down the competitive Heat, and Klay Thompson’s 17 points in the fourth quarter — for a game total of 33 — guided the Warriors to victory.
Dwyane Wade scored a season-high 32 points for Miami.
San Antonio kept up its dogged pursuit of Golden State by winning 108-92 at Sacramento.
Parker scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter for the Spurs, who took the lead for good with just over 4 minutes left in the third quarter, then pulled away in the fourth in winning for the ninth time in 10 games.
Kawhi Leonard had 18 points for San Antonio, which has won 35 of its past 39 against the Kings.
DeMarcus Cousins had 21 of his 22 points in the second half for Sacramento.
Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook scored 24 points apiece to lead the Thunder past Dallas 116-103.
Westbrook also had 13 assists for the Thunder, who scored the first 15 points of the fourth quarter and weathered a 14-0 Dallas run.
Dirk Nowitzki had a season-high 33 points for the Mavericks, who lost all four games this season against the Thunder.
Cleveland scored 40 points in the second quarter to set up a 114-103 win against Charlotte.
LeBron James, who scored just 12 points against Detroit on Monday, improved to 23 points; the same total as Kyrie Irving.
Kemba Walker had 20 points for Charlotte, which had won four straight on the road and five straight overall.
Denver dominated defensively in the key and won 87-81 at the Los Angeles Clippers.
Kenneth Faried had 21 points and 11 rebounds while Gary Harris added 17 points for the Nuggets.
The Clippers were led by J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford with 20 points apiece, but the Clippers were surprisingly outplayed by the struggling Nuggets.
Denver outscored them 44-22 in the paint and 19-9 in fast-break points.
A badly undermanned Chicago got enough contribution from its lesser lights as the Bulls won 109-104 against Washington, overcoming the late withdrawal of Derrick Rose.
Toronto tied a franchise record with its ninth straight home win, beating Minnesota 114-105, led by DeMar DeRozan’s 31 points.
Indiana’s Paul George scored 25 of his 27 points in the second half to lead the Pacers past New York 108-105, surviving a couple of late 3-point attempts by the Knicks.
Memphis’ Matt Barnes scored a season-high 25 points as the Grizzlies led from start to finish in beating the Los Angeles Lakers 128-119.
Detroit beat Philadelphia 111-91 in a game played in front of a tiny crowd because of a snowstorm in metro Detroit.