NBA: Patty Mills drops 31 to lead Spurs past Curry-less Warriors

By the Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Patty Mills came off the bench to score 31 points and the San Antonio Spurs beat Golden State 127-110 on Friday night, hours after the Warriors learned they will be without injured star Stephen Curry for at least three months.

LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points for the Spurs (4-1), who were coming off their first loss of the season a night earlier.

D’Angelo Russell led Golden State (1-4) with 30 points.

The game was an indication of the uphill battle facing Golden State without Curry, who underwent surgery after breaking his left hand Wednesday against Phoenix.

Russell couldn’t carry the Warriors alone, even with three teammates in double figures. Rookie Jordan Poole scored 20.

Warriors fans began filing out of the new Chase Center midway through the fourth quarter. Golden State is winless in three home games this season.

Russell scored 19 points in the first half and the Warriors were within two points at the break, 57-55.

The Spurs took control in the third period, scoring 40 points and taking a 97-86 lead. That included 12 points from Aldridge in the quarter and a 13-2 Spurs run.

Mills, who starred in college for Saint Mary’s in nearby Moraga, California, hit six of his nine 3-point attempts and finished three points shy of his career high of 34 points. That career-best game came against the Warriors on April 26, 2012.

LaVine scores 26 as Bulls beat Pistons

Trailing by one in the closing minutes, the Chicago Bulls were looking for someone to hit the big shots. Zach LaVine delivered the baskets they needed.

LaVine scored 26 points, Otto Porter Jr. added 22, and the Bulls overcame a big effort by Derrick Rose against his former team to beat the Detroit Pistons 112-106 on Friday night.

Rose delighted the hometown crowd with 23 points and seven assists. But the Bulls came away with the win after dropping three in a row while handing the Pistons their fourth loss in five games.

LaVine put Chicago ahead for good with back-to-back 3-pointers and added four free throws in the final 11.5 seconds.

“Somebody’s got to step up to the plate,” he said. “I think I’m that dude.”

Porter did his part, shooting 8 of 12 and nailing three 3’s. Wendell Carter Jr. added 16 points and 11 rebounds, and the Bulls snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Pistons.

Chicago, which led by as much as 16, trailed 100-99 after a layup by Tony Snell.

But LaVine responded by hitting back-to-back 3’s to put the Bulls back on top 105-100 with three minutes left.

Chicago was clinging to a 107-104 lead with just over a minute remaining when Tomas Satoransky got called for traveling. But Rose missed a runner.

After LaVine missed a layup, Snell missed a 3 for Detroit. Carter then made 1 of 2 free throws with 17.5 seconds remaining to make it 108-104. Kennard then missed a 3, and LaVine hit two free throws, bumping the lead to six with 11.5 seconds left.

Rose’s return

Rose got a loud ovation when he entered the game in the first quarter and heard those familiar “MVP! MVP!” chants from the Chicago crowd throughout the night. The South Side product flashed some of the old explosiveness that made him the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2008 and NBA’s youngest MVP three years later, before injuries derailed his promising career with the Bulls.

“I felt the love out there,” Rose said. “I wish we would have gotten the win, but coming here is always special and playing here is always special.”

Andre Drummond led Detroit with 25 points and 24 rebounds — his third 20-20 game this season.

Luke Kennard scored 15 and made three 3-pointers. But the Pistons missed their first 14 from beyond the arc before he hit one late in the first half and were 6 of 29 in the game.

Source: Manila Bulletin