Warriors dim Suns, clinch West plum

CAVS top CELTICS in titans’ duel

PHOENIX – Stephen Curry scored 42 points and the Golden State Warriors held off the Phoenix Suns, 120-111, for their season-high 13th straight win, clinching the best record in the NBA for the third straight season.

Meanwhile, Devin Booker scored 21, Tyler Ulis 20 and Jared Dudley matched his season high with 19 for the Suns, who tied a franchise record with their 13th straight loss.

Alan Williams scored 16 and grabbed a career-best 17 rebounds for Phoenix.

Golden State became the first team to have the NBA’s best record for three consecutive seasons since the Boston Celtics did it in 1983-84, ‘84-’85 and ‘85-’86. The Warriors, Boston – multiple times – and Philadelphia are the only franchises in NBA history to achieve that feat.

The Warriors also are the first team to win at least 65 games in three straight seasons.

Klay Thompson scored 22 for the Warriors, including a critical late 3-pointer.

With the Spurs’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Warriors are 65-14, 4 1/2 games ahead of San Antonio. Golden State has three games to play, San Antonio four.

The Warriors raced to that 23-point lead after one quarter, but Phoenix outscored Golden State 34-17 in the second quarter to cut it to 58-52.

The Suns got it to four twice early in the third quarter and were down just 82-76 after Ronnie Price made two free throws with 1:51 left in the period.

In Boston, LeBron James scored 36 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers pounded rival Boston to regain control of the Eastern Conference as Russell Westbrook’s bid for NBA history was delayed.

The titanic battle between Cleveland and Boston – neck and neck at the top of the conference – never materialized as a fired-up Cavs roared to a 114-91 rout against a shell-shocked Celtics.

In Memphis, Westbrook inspired the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 103-100 win over the Grizzlies with a 45-point display, but was left just one rebound short of setting a new single-season triple-double record.

In other results, Miami kept its post-season hopes alive with a 112-99 victory over Charlotte; Toronto edged Detroit, 105-102; Houston turned back Denver, 110-104; the Los Angeles Lakers stunned the San Antonio Spurs, 102-95; and the LA Clippers blasted the Dallas Mavericks, 112-101.