Warriors humble Cavaliers on home court, win 132-98

CLEVELAND (AP):

The Golden State Warriors returned to the floor where they won the NBA championship last season and embarrassed the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-98 on Monday night.

Stephen Curry scored 35 points in three quarters for the Warriors, who built a huge early lead and cruised to their fifth straight victory over the Cavaliers, who appear at this stage to be the best team the Eastern Conference can put up against the several title contenders in the West.

Golden State retained a 10-1/2 game lead in the Pacific Division ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers, who hit a franchise-record 22 three-pointers in an overtime win against Houston.

Chicago closed within 4-1/2 games of Cleveland for the Central Division lead by winning at Detroit, while Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas to an overtime victory against Boston.

Golden State's Curry made seven three-pointers - his last put the Warriors ahead by 40 points late in the third quarter - and the reigning league MVP seemed right at home in Quicken Loans Arena, where the Warriors clinched their first title since 1975 last June.

Andre Iguodala added 20 as the Warriors bounced back from a surprise loss to Detroit over the weekend.

LeBron James scored 16 for Cleveland, which needed a late flurry of points to avoid the heaviest home loss in franchise history.

Los Angeles' sharpshooting J.J. Redick scored a career-high 40 points as the Clippers beat Houston 140-132. Redick connected on his first five attempts behind the arc and finished nine for 12 on three-pointers, tying Caron Butler's club record for threes.

Chris Paul had 28 points and 12 assists for the Clippers. He, Redick and Jamal Crawford each made three-pointers while the Clippers opened overtime on a 9-2 run.

Houston's Dwight Howard had 36 points and tied a career high with 26 rebounds en route to his 10th straight double-double, the league's longest active streak. He secured it before half-time with 13 points and 15 boards.

Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points to lead the Mavericks past Boston 118-113 after overtime.

Nowitzki scored 21 of those points across the fourth quarter and overtime, while Deron Williams had 10 of his 20 points in OT for the Mavericks, who led by 17 points in the second quarter, but trailed by six in the fourth before rallying.

Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart led Boston with 20 points apiece.

Chicago's Pau Gasol had 31 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Bulls to a 111-101 victory at Detroit.

- AP