NBA: Stephen Curry scores 51 points, misses three-point record by one

Stephen Curry scored 36 of his 51 points in the first half to offset a monster offensive game from John Wall, and the Golden State Warriors pulled away to beat the Washington Wizards, 134-121, Wednesday night in Washington for their eighth straight victory.

Curry made 13 of his first 14 shots and finished 19 for 28 from the field and 11 for 26 from three-point territory. His 11 three-pointers tied a career high and were one short of the NBA record, held by Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall.

The defending champion Warriors (45-4) continued on their run by tying the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers for the best 49-game start in NBA history.

Wall led the Wizards with a season-best 41 points and had 10 assists.

Curry made his first six shots from the field, including his first five three-point attempts, and finished the first quarter with 25 points on nine-for-10 shooting. His 36 points at halftime were the most of any first half in his career and broke the Verizon Center record of 34 set by Michael Jordan on Dec. 29, 2001.

at Oklahoma City 117, Orlando 114: Russell Westbrook posted his third straight triple-double with 24 points, a career-high 19 rebounds and 14 assists and Kevin Durant made a three-pointer with a half-second left to cap a 37-point outing and give the Thunder its fifth win in a row. Victor Oladipo scored 37 points —one off his career high — to lead the Magic, which has lost 14 of its last 16 games.

at San Antonio 110, New Orleans 97: LaMarcus Aldridge had 36 points, setting his season high for the second consecutive game, and the Spurs remained unbeaten at home. San Antonio (41-8) won its 27th straight home game to open the season and 36th overall dating to last season.

at Charlotte 106, Cleveland 97: Jeremy Lin scored 24 points and the Charlotte Hornets rallied in the second half to beat the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 11 points and 13 rebounds, and three other players finished in double figures for the Hornets, who overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to end a four-game losing streak against the Cavaliers. The Hornets outscored Cleveland 33-17 in the third quarter to take an 82-75 lead, and went on to lead by as many as 15 late in the fourth. Kyrie Irving had 26 points and LeBron James added 23 for the Cavaliers, who had won five straight.

Atlanta 124, at Philadelphia 86: Eight players were in double figures for the Hawks, who swept the three-game season series with the 76ers by an average of 29 points. Nik Stauskas had 17 points for the 76ers, who dropped to 7-42 with their second-worst loss of the season. The 76ers have lost 12 games by 20 or more points.

at Boston 102, Detroit 95: Isaiah Thomas had 17 points and seven assists to help the Celtics win their sixth home game in a row. Detroit fell behind by as many as 24 in the third quarter before cutting the deficit to seven, but the Celtics strung together enough baskets late to preserve the win. The Pistons’ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left with a right groin strain after he appeared to slip on a wet spot on the court in the second quarter.

Indiana 114, at Brooklyn 100: C.J. Miles had 27 points, Paul George scored 17 and the Pacers sent the Nets to their fifth straight loss. Brook Lopez had 21 points and Joe Johnson had 20 points and nine assists for the Nets, who missed their first eight shots to start the second quarter.

Miami 93, at Dallas 90: Chris Bosh scored 20 points, and Dwyane Wade bounced back from a one-for-11 first half to score 18 in the Heat’s victory.