Basketball: Cameron Payne, Suns drop Warriors to 0-8 on road

PHOENIX – Cameron Payne made six three-pointers while scoring a career-best 29 points and Devin Booker added 27 points, nine assists and three blocked shots to lead the Phoenix Suns to a solid 130-119 National Basketball Association victory over the road-challenged Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.

Mikal Bridges sank five three-pointers and had 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Suns, who improved to 7-1 at home. Deandre Ayton scored 14 points and Torrey Craig added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Phoenix.

Stephen Curry scored a season-best 50 points on 17-of-28 shooting, including seven of 11 from three-point range, for the Warriors. It is the 11th time Curry has scored 50 or more points in a regular-season game.

The setback drops Golden State to 0-8 on the road, the club’s worst such start since the 1989-90 Warriors lost their first nine away games.

Klay Thompson scored 19 points, Andrew Wiggins added 14, and Kevon Looney had 10 points and eight rebounds for Golden State.

Chris Paul (heel) sat out his fourth straight game for the Suns.

Payne has started in place of Paul in all four games and topped 20 in three of them. He also contributed seven assists.

The Suns shot 51.2 per cent from the field, including 21 of 40 (52.5 per cent) from three-point range.

Golden State connected on 45.7 per cent of their shots and was 18 of 42 (42.9 per cent) from behind the arc. Curry, who also had nine rebounds and six assists, has topped 40 points in three of the past five games.

The Suns led by seven at the half before Payne and Craig opened the third quarter with three-pointers to make it 78-65.

Phoenix later scored 13 of 18 points and Booker’s three-pointer increased the lead to 101-86 with 33.9 seconds to go in the period.

The Suns led 103-89 entering the final stanza but two three-pointers by Donte DiVincenzo helped the Warriors creep within eight with 10:32 left.

Phoenix responded with nine straight points on baskets by Jock Landale and Ayton, two free throws by Payne and a three-pointer by Damion Lee to take a 114-97 lead with 7:03 left.

Curry reached 50 when he knocked down a three-pointer with 2:31 left to cut the Warriors’ deficit to 125-112. He exited the game with 1:42 remaining with the Suns in control.

Payne scored 18 in the first half and Booker added 16 as Phoenix led 72-65 at the break. Curry had 31 in the half for Golden State.

While the Warriors are 0-8 on the road the beaten NBA finalists, the undermanned Boston Celtics got 22 points from Jaylen Brown and stretched their winning streak to eight games with a 126-101 road victory against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

The Celtics played without guards Malcolm Brogdon and Marcus Smart. Brogdon has missed the last four games with hamstring soreness, and Smart was ruled out with ankle inflammation.

Boston’s thin backcourt resulted in more minutes for point guard Derrick White, who finished the game with 16 points and 10 assists.

In addition to Brown and White, five other Celtics scored in double figures: Jayson Tatum (19), Grant Williams (18), Sam Hauser (15), Luke Kornet (15) and Payton Pritchard (14).

Tatum also had eight assists and seven rebounds. Boston’s Al Horford grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

Trae Young had 27 points, nine assists and five rebounds for the Hawks, who shot 41.6 per cent from the field (42-for-101). Dejounte Murray added 19 points for Atlanta.

De’Andre Hunter (13 points) and John Collins (12) also scored in double figures for the Hawks, who scored the game’s first basket then didn’t have the lead after that. REUTERS