Stephen Curry amassed 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists, Brandin Podziemski scored 22 points, and the visiting Golden State Warriors blew past the Phoenix Suns 133-95 on Tuesday.
Trayce Jackson-Davis added 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Warriors (47-32), who won their sixth game in seven tries.
Jimmy Butler III, Jonathan Kuminga, Kevin Knox II and Pat Spencer each put up 10 points for Golden State, which led by as many as 41 points and pulled even with the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies in a four-way for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference standings.
Phoenix (35-44) dropped its seventh straight game despite Devin Booker’s 21 points. Ryan Dunn and Grayson Allen chipped in 12 points apiece for the Suns, who are all but eliminated from play-in contention. They fell three games back of the 10th-place Dallas Mavericks with three games to go.
After taking a 26-point advantage into halftime, the Warriors ballooned the lead to 81-47 after Butler’s mid-range jumper and subsequent three-point play.
Kuminga sank a pair of layups surrounding a Podziemski trey, giving Golden State its largest lead of the night to that point at 93-57 with 1:39 remaining in the third quarter. Allen split a pair of free throws on the Suns’ final possession of the quarter, cutting the deficit to 95-61 entering the fourth.
After Golden State cleared the bench, Warriors reserves Knox and Gui Santos hit 3-pointers and Spencer connected on two treys, extending the lead to 113-74.
Golden State shot 54.2 percent in the first quarter and Curry scored 13 as the Warriors took a 37-24 lead into the second.
Allen’s five straight points pulled the Suns within eight before Jackson-Davis’ three-point play stamped Golden State’s 10-2 run, pushing the margin to 49-33. Booker hit a stepback jumper, but Curry’s layup began a 9-0 Warriors’ spurt that forged a 58-35 lead with 3:07 left in the period.
Booker’s layup with 47 seconds remaining ended the first half for the Suns, who entered the locker room behind 69-43.
Stephen Curry, Warriors leave Suns on brink of elimination
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Stephen Curry, Warriors leave Suns on brink of elimination
- Trayce Jackson-Davis added 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Warriors
- The Phoenix Suns dropped its seventh straight game despite Devin Booker’s 21 points
Real Madrid victory in Super Cup semi-final sets up fourth consecutive El Clásico in Saudi Arabia
- Early Valverde rocket set the tone for a physical encounter in front of a packed Al-Inma Stadium
- 55,651 fans attended the match, topping Barcelona-Athletic Bilbao’s crowd by more than 5,000
JEDDAH: While Wednesday saw a sea of blue and red take over Al-Inma Stadium, Thursday belonged almost entirely to the colour white. The second semi-final of the 2026 Spanish Super Cup pitted Madrid Derby rivals Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid against each other in a fiercely contested encounter that ignited within the opening two minutes and ended with a 2-1 victory to Real Madrid.
In the first minute of the game, Real Madrid won a free kick from a position that appeared harmless, but Federico Valverde had other ideas. The Uruguayan unleashed a thunderous long-range strike that flew into the net, sending the stadium into raptures almost immediately.
Despite the early breakthrough, Real Madrid did not dominate proceedings. Atlético controlled much of the shot count, pushing relentlessly as they attempted to overcome the forged “home” advantage enjoyed by their city rivals in Jeddah.
That advantage was not driven solely by Saudi supporters. Ahead of kick-off, official broadcaster Thmanyah Sports got hold of a Real Madrid fan from Iraq who praised the organisation of the event and thanked Saudi Arabia for providing fans from across the region the opportunity to watch their team live.
Atlético didn’t plan on sending those fans home with a smile. They forced Thibaut Courtois into action on multiple occasions, with his save from a corner mid-way into the first half proving key in preserving Real’s lead.
Real did get close to doubling their advantage in the 27th minute when Rodrygo found himself through on goal, executing a trademark Ronaldo chop to beat his marker before being denied by Jan Oblak.
Atlético resumed their push after the break. In the 49th minute, they looked to find Julián Álvarez with a dangerous cross, but Antonio Rüdiger reacted sharply to step in and clear.
Once again, it was Real Madrid’s individual quality that made the difference. Valverde split the defence with a perfectly weighted through ball, releasing Rodrygo, who calmly slotted past Oblak in the 55th minute.
Atlético responded with increased vigour almost immediately. A slick move down the right flank culminated in a cross from Giuliano Simeone, which Alexander Sørloth powered home beyond Raúl Asencio in the 58th minute to bring the contest back to life.
As Atlético pushed for an equaliser, the Real Madrid fans rallied behind their team with chants familiar to Jeddah. Borrowing from one of Al-Ahli’s most popular anthems — one that engulfed Middle Eastern football in recent years — the crowd sang in unison: “For Real we came, from every city.”
Atlético were not fazed, as they came agonisingly close to levelling soon after. Antoine Griezmann produced a spectacular overhead kick from close range, only for Courtois to make another vital save. Moments later, Marcos Llorente broke through on the right once more, but his effort drifted wide.
Llorente continued to threaten, curling another attempt — this time from outside the box — but once again failed to find the target as Atlético searched desperately for a way back into the game.
Ultimately, Real Madrid managed to emerge unscathed, as they held on for the 2-1 victory.
Sunday will see the Al-Inma Stadium host once again, as Barcelona and Real Madrid face off in the fourth consecutive El Clásico Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia. Barcelona won the first encounter in 2023, followed by a 4-1 victory by Real in 2024, before Barcelona rallied to a 5-2 victory in the 2025 edition.
