Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, left, looks to pass the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, right, during the Warriors’ 96-82 win Sunday in San Francisco. John Hefti/Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson scored 17 points in his return from two devastating injuries that sidelined him more than 2 1/2 years, helping the Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-82 on Sunday night.
Thompson was 7 of 18 from the field and 3 of 8 from 3-point range. He added three rebounds, an assist and a steal in 20 minutes, walking off the court to a thunderous ovation followed by chants of “Klay! Klay!” from the Chase Center crowd.
Stephen Curry had 29 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Jordan Poole added 14 points for Golden State. The Warriors snapped a two-game losing streak to tie Phoenix for the NBA lead at 30-9.
Lamar Stevens had 17 points and four rebounds for Cleveland.
Thompson missed 941 days and hadn’t played since tearing the ACL in his left knee in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against Toronto. While rehabbing from surgery for that injury, he tore his right Achilles tendon scrimmaging on his own in November 2020.
The five-time All-Star finally made his much-anticipated return, and reached two career milestones – 12,000 points and 1,800 3-pointers.
“It was just amazing having him out there,” Curry said on the television broadcast.
Thompson got off to a slow start but showed plenty of the flash that made him a vital component on Golden State’s three championship teams from 2015-18.
At one point Thompson brought the crowd to its feet when he drove around a defender near the 3-point line and scored on a jarring one-handed dunk. Thompson snarled and pounded his chest as he walked back toward midcourt. Moments later he made his first 3-pointer to go over 12,000 points and put the Warriors up 49-41.
After spending time on a stationary bicycle, Thompson started the third quarter and made three consecutive shots, including his 1,800th.
NETS 121, SPURS 119: Rookie Cam Thomas made a runner in the lane with 1.4 seconds left in overtime and Brooklyn beat San Antonio to snap a five-game home losing streak.
Kevin Durant scored 28 points for the Nets and James Harden had 26 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. But both struggled after the Nets had a 10-point lead with 4 minutes to play in regulation, forcing the extra period.
The Spurs made Durant give up the ball on the Nets’ final possession and he got it to Thomas, who gave Brooklyn its first home victory since Dec. 16.
Lonnie Walker IV scored 25 for the Spurs, while Dejounte Murray finished with 19 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.
But the Spurs couldn’t get up a good shot on the last possession of regulation or overtime in another frustrating loss.
CLIPPERS 106, HAWKS 93: Amir Coffey tied a career-high with 21 points and Serge Ibaka added 16 to lead Los Angeles to a win over visiting Atlanta.
Coffey, who went undrafted out of Minnesota in the 2019 NBA draft, is on a two-way contract with the Clippers and the G-League but has really blossomed this season. He made a big impact Sunday since the Clippers, like many NBA teams, are short-handed due to health and safety protocols and injuries.
He made 8 of 12 field goals and 5 of 8 3-pointer.
WIZARDS 102, MAGIC 100: Kyle Kuzma had 27 points and a career-best 22 rebounds, Bradley Beal scored 20 points and Washington rallied in the fourth quarter to win in Orlando, Fla.
Washington snapped a two-game skid and beat Orlando for a second time this season. The Wizards trailed 71-67 after three quarters but improved to 6-18 when behind entering the fourth. Washington outscored the Magic 29-15 during a seven-minute stretch in the final period to regain control.
RAPTORS 105, PELICANS 101: Pascal Siakam had 29 points and 10 rebounds, Fred VanVleet scored 32 points and Toronto extended its winning streak to a season-high six games with a win over New Orleans in Toronto.
OG Anunoby scored 12 points as the Raptors won their fifth straight and 10th of 12 at home. Toronto (20-17) is three games above .500 for the first time since opening the season 6-3.
VanVleet, who recorded his first career triple-double in Friday’s win over Utah, has scored 30 or more points six times in his past eight games.
NUGGETS 99, THUNDER 95: Nikola Jokic had 22 points and 18 rebounds to help Denver win in Oklahoma City.
Austin Rivers scored a season-high 22 points and Jeff Green added 16 points. The Nuggets avenged a 108-94 loss to the Thunder on Dec. 22 in Oklahoma City.
Lu Dort scored 14 points for the Thunder. They have lost four straight.
Denver raced to a 22-4 lead in the first six minutes. The Nuggets shot 52% in the first half to take a 61-49 lead at the break. Rivers had 14 points in the half.
TIMBERWOLVES 141, ROCKETS 123: Karl-Anthony Towns scored a season-high 40 points, D’Angelo Russell added 22 points and 10 assists and Minnesota won its fourth straight game, winning in Houston.
Towns scored 22 points in the first half as Minnesota built a 75-54 lead at the break. He finished 15 of 25 from the floor and added nine rebounds and seven assists.
Jarred Vanderbilt had career-highs of 21 points and 19 rebounds, Anthony Edwards had 19 points and six assists, and Malik Beasley scored 13 points for Minnesota. The Timberwolves shot 51%, including 56% in the first half, and were 15 for 42 on 3-pointers.
MAVERICKS 113, BULLS 99: Luka Doncic had 22 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists for his third triple-double of the season as host Dallas beat Chicago for its season-best sixth straight win while snapping the Bulls’ nine-game winning streak.
Josh Green and Maxi Kleber had season highs with 18 points each for Dallas. It was a career high for Green, who scored nine in the fourth quarter, and Kleber tied a career high hitting six shots behind the arc. Jalen Brunson added 17 points, Dorian Finney-Smith had 12 and Dwight Powell 10.
The Mavericks’ streak is their longest since also winning six straight in March-April 2016.
TRAIL BLAZERS 103, KINGS 88: Anfernee Simons led all scorers with 31 points and host Portland handed Sacramento its fourth straight loss.
Jusuf Nurkic had 14 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, and the Blazers snapped a two-game losing streak.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 17 points for the Kings, who have lost seven straight on the road. Alex Len added 16 points and 10 rebounds.
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