Golden State Warriors’ 23-0 run too much for Sacramento Kings

Stephen Curry had 23 points and nine assists, and the visiting Golden State Warriors rode a 23-0 spurt in the first half to beat the Sacramento Kings, 121-96, on Tuesday night.

The Warriors shut down the Kings for more than seven minutes at the end of the first quarter and start of the second quarter to take an 18-point lead. They went ahead by 20 at the half and 25 in the third quarter before holding off a brief Kings comeback.

Andre Iguodala added 17 points, and Marreese Speights finished with 17 points and eight rebounds to help the Warriors sweep the four-game series with Sacramento for the second straight season.

Led by Iguodala and Speights, the Warriors’ bench outscored the Kings’ reserves, 61-12.

at Portland 103, Utah 102: Damian Lillard scored 25 points and the Trail Blazers, boosted by the return of center Robin Lopez, ended a three-game losing streak. LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points and 11 rebounds for Portland, and Lopez, who had been out since Dec. 15 with a broken hand, had 11 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes.

at Philadelphia 105, Denver 98: Hollis Thompson scored a career-high 23 points, Michael Carter-Williams had 15 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds and Robert Covington added 17 points for the improving 76ers, who won their third consecutive home game for the first time since March 2013. Danilo Gallinari scored 22 points to pace the Nuggets, who dropped their 10th in 11 games. Denver has lost its last three games by an average of 21.7 points.

at Detroit 108, Miami 91: D.J. Augustin had 25 points and 13 assists and the Pistons closed the first quarter on a 25-1 run as they went on to beat the Heat. Chris Bosh scored 34 points, including 21 in the third quarter, but nobody else provided much help offensively for Miami, which was still without injured star Dwyane Wade. It was the first time in Bosh’s five seasons with the Heat that it lost a regular-season game with him scoring at least 30 points. Miami had been 17-0.

Boston 108, at New York 97: Avery Bradley scored 26 points, Jared Sullinger added 22 and the Celtics ended a three-game losing streak. Bradley made 11 of 14 shots from the field for the Celtics, who rediscovered their offense after a lineup change that put rookie Marcus Smart in the backcourt with Bradley. Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points for the Knicks, who had won five of seven during their best stretch of the season.