James Talks to Team, Cavs Lose and Other NBA Stuff

(AP) — The Golden State Warriors returned to their winning ways on Wednesday, but the Cleveland Cavaliers continued their slump.

Kevin Durant scored 16 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter of the Warriors' eighth win in nine games, 113-103 at Charlotte. Stephen Curry had 28 points on six 3-pointers for the Warriors, who were coming off a three-point loss to Miami on Monday.

Golden State trailed by five before scoring 38 points in the final period.

Klay Thompson finished with 19 points and Draymond Green added 13 as the Warriors improved to an NBA-best 39-7.

The Cavaliers lost for the sixth time in eight games as DeMarcus Cousins finished with a game-high 28 for the Sacramento Kings in a 116-112 overtime win at Cleveland. Darren Collision added 23 points on 8 of 14 shooting, while Arron Afflalo went 4-for-6 from 3-point range in scoring 14 points. Afflalo hit a 3-pointer with 17.3 seconds left in OT.

LeBron James had 24 points and 11 assists for the defending NBA champs, whose lead in the Eastern Conference remains three games over Toronto. The Cavs also wasted Kevin Love's 21 points and 16 rebounds.

Cleveland's latest loss came hours after James patched things up with his teammates and GM David Griffin following his criticism of the Cavs on Monday. Griffin said he appreciated the meeting, which came after James questioned the organization's commitment to winning a second championship. James insisted he wasn't criticizing Griffin or any teammates but reiterated that the club needs to add a playmaker.

Checking out the rest of the NBA:

— Russell Westbrook recorded his 23rd triple-double of the season by producing 27 points, 21 boards and 10 assists in Oklahoma City's 114-105 win at New Orleans. Steven Adams finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, while teammate Enes Kanter added 17 points and 11 boards.

— Boston's three-game losing streak is over after Isaiah Thomas contributed 38 points and nine assists in a 120-109 downing of Houston. Jae Crowder had 23 points as the Celtics improved to 27-18 and climbed within a half-game of the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors. James Harden finished with 30 points and 12 assists in the Rockets' sixth loss in nine games.

— The 76ers scored a season-high 72 points in the first half and won for the fifth time in six games. 114-109 at Milwaukee. Gerald Henderson had a team-high 20 points, while Ersan Ilysova and Dario Saric each had 17 to help the Philadelphia win its second straight game without leading scorer Joel Embiid.

— Toronto absorbed its fifth consecutive loss as Marc Gasol provided a career-high 42 points and Zach Randolph added 16 to lead Memphis past the Raptors, 101-99. Toronto tied it at 99 with a 12-0 run before Gasol drained a pair of free throws with 36 seconds left.

— Dennis Schroder scored 24 points and the Atlanta Hawks closed on a 19-4 run to beat the Bulls, 119-114 in Chicago. Tim Hardaway Jr. nailed four of the Hawks' 17 3-points and finished with 17 points in their seventh straight win over the Bulls.

— Harrison Barnes dropped in 23 points and Seth Curry added 20 in the Mavericks' fifth win in seven games, 103-95 over the Knicks in Dallas. Carmelo Anthony had 30 points in the Knicks' 14th loss in 18 games.

— Dion Waiters scored 14 of his 24 points while Miami was erasing an 18-point, fourth-quarter deficit in a 109-106 victory at Brooklyn. Wayne Ellington chipped in 22 points for the Heat, who won their fifth in a row and sent the Nets to their 14th loss in 15 games.

— Portland beat the Lakers for the 11th straight time in regular season play as Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum each scored 24 points in the Trail Blazers' 105-98 triumph over Los Angeles. The game was tied at 94 until McCollum hit a 3-pointer and a reverse layup to put the Blazers up by five with 2:40 left.