Butler triple-double leads Warriors over Raptors as Curry hurt

Golden State Warriors’ Jimmy Butler III drives against Toronto Raptorss’ Jakob Poeltl in 4th quarter during Dubs' 117-114 win in NBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thursday. (AP)
Short Url
Updated 21 March 2025
Follow

Butler triple-double leads Warriors over Raptors as Curry hurt

  • The Bucks bounced back from their loss at Golden State on Tuesday with a 118-89 romp past the short-handed Lakers in Los Angeles
  • The Pacers won another close one in Indianapolis, where Bennedict Mathurin scored 28 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in a 105-99 overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets

LOS ANGELES: Draymond Green scored 21 points and Jimmy Butler added a 16-point triple-double as the Golden State Warriors held off the Toronto Raptors 117-114 on Thursday despite an early exit for Stephen Curry.

Butler added 11 rebounds and 12 assists for the Warriors and Green chipped in seven rebounds, five assists and four steals as Golden State kept their hold on sixth place in the Western Conference and direct entry into the playoffs.

Trailing by as many as seven in the third quarter, Golden State took a 93-92 lead into the final period even after losing Curry, who took a frightening fall under the basket.

Curry, who was nursing a sore back before he sat out Tuesday’s win over Milwaukee, was treated on the court before departing with what the team called a pelvic contusion.

“He just kind of fell on his pelvic, tailbone area,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, adding that Curry was having an MRI scan after the game to assess the injury.

“He was trying to come back (into the game), he thought he might’ve been able to come back and we just decided not to risk anything,” Kerr added.

In other games the Bucks bounced back from their loss at Golden State on Tuesday with a 118-89 romp past the short-handed Lakers in Los Angeles.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points and Gary Trent Jr. added 23 off the bench for Milwaukee, who were without Damian Lillard who sat out with a sore right calf.

The Lakers, still without superstar LeBron James as he recovers from a groin injury, also had Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves on their long list of absentees, both with sprained ankles.

James’s son Bronny James and Dalton Knecht led the Lakers’ scoring with 17 points apiece, Bronny connecting on seven of his 10 shots on the way to his first double-digit scoring game.

But Milwaukee led by as many as 35 in the wire-to-wire victory, which kept the fifth-placed Bucks one game behind the fourth-placed Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference.

The Pacers won another close one in Indianapolis, where Bennedict Mathurin scored 28 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in a 105-99 overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

The Pacers have now won three straight games by six or fewer points to improve to 40-29 — boosting their lead over the Bucks and Detroit Pistons for fourth place.

Myles Turner scored 23 points with 10 rebounds and five blocks, including a huge rejection of Keon Johnson with 22.2 seconds left in overtime that preserved a two-point lead.

T.J. McConnell and Mathurin added two free-throws apiece in the waning seconds to seal the victory for a Pacers team again without star guard Tyrese Haliburton because of a sore back.

Mathurin had sent it to overtime with three free-throws to tie it up at the end of regulation.

“Another amazing finish,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “Mathurin was spectacular, especially in the fourth quarter.”

Brooklyn’s Trendon Watford was ejected late in the fourth quarter after a scuffle that saw Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard and Turner receive technical fouls. Nembhard was ejected in overtime after getting a second technical for jawing with officials.

The New York Knicks, third in the East, failed to find their offensive groove in a 115-98 loss to the Hornets in Charlotte.

The Knicks have dropped six of their last nine games and again felt the effects of Jalen Brunson’s continued absence with a sprained right ankle.

LaMelo Ball scored 25 points to lead the Hornets and Miles Bridges added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the hosts, who snapped a two-game skid.

OG Anunoby scored 25 for the Knicks and Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 10 rebounds, but New York never led after the opening quarter.


McIlroy soars to the top of the leaderboard at Dubai Invitational

Updated 15 sec ago
Follow

McIlroy soars to the top of the leaderboard at Dubai Invitational

  • Scotland’s Connor Syme, Spaniard David Puig were McIlroy’s closest rivals at four under
  • There was a minute’s silence held at 1.30 p.m. for the 40 victims of the Crans-Montana fire during New Year celebrations

DUBAI: Rory McIlroy declared his opening round of 66 as a “nice way to start the year” as he held a one-shot lead at the 2026 Dubai Invitational.

The world number two made a rapid start with seven birdies and a bogey after 10 holes to send a daunting message to the rest of the field as he led by three shots at six under par.

His momentum stalled as he carded a dropped shot and seven pars to close his first round of the year in 66 and take the clubhouse lead at five under.

Matt Wallace rolled in four straight birdies around the turn to surge ahead at seven under, but two dropped shots and a double bogey saw him slip down the leaderboard.

Scotland’s Connor Syme and Spaniard David Puig were McIlroy’s closest rivals at four under.

“It was good. I got off to a great start, played a very good first nine,” McIlroy said.

“Then the wind got up a little bit and felt like that front nine, which was our second nine, was the trickier one.

“I made a silly bogey on three and then didn’t capitalize on the par-five after that.

“So, I felt like I left a few out on that side, but I played a really good nine holes of golf. Overall, a nice way to start the year.”

McIlroy, who started at the 10th, was inches from an opening eagle before he climbed to two under at the 11th with a close-range birdie.

He slid a four-foot par putt by at the 12th, but responded immediately with birdies at the 13th and the par-three 14th thanks to a stunning tee-shot.

The Northern Irishman took the outright lead at four under with another gain at the 17th and when finished his front nine with another birdie, he was two shots clear.

McIlroy was in relentless form as he rolled in his seventh birdie of the day, and third in a row, at the first to extend his advantage to three strokes at six under.

However, Oliver Lindell closed in on the early leader courtesy of a stunning birdie blitz from the ninth to the 13th.

McIlroy bogeyed the third to slip back alongside the Finn to share the lead at five under and they were joined by Guerrier, starting on the back nine, who briefly made it a three-way tie after his seventh birdie of the round at the sixth to go with his double bogey at the ninth before fading away.

Matt Wallace opened with a bogey, but bounced back with a birdie at the third and a chip-in eagle at the fourth.

Another gain followed at the sixth before he surged to the summit courtesy of four straight birdies from the eighth to move two ahead at seven under.

The Englishman dropped a shot at the 12th, double bogeyed the 16th and closed with a bogey as his two-shot lead evaporated.

Syme and Puig were one shot behind McIlroy at four under following five birdies and a bogey in their 67s.

Wallace endured a rollercoaster card of an eagle, six birdies, three dropped shots and a double bogey to finish to sit in a tie for fifth at three under, Lindell double bogeyed the last in his 68, while French pair Guerrier and Antoine Rozner and Spaniard Angel Ayora were also at that mark.

There was a minute’s silence held at 1.30 p.m. for the 40 victims of the Crans-Montana fire during New Year celebrations, which included rising Italian talent Emanuele Galeppini, who was about to start his tenure as Junior Captain at Dubai Creek Resort.

Black ribbons were worn by players, caddies and DP World Tour staff as a mark of respect.