Stephen Curry put on a show in the second half, scoring 22 of his game-high 36 points Thursday night to lead the Warriors to a 123-114 victory at Miami, pushing their win streak to seven games.
During a drama-filled fourth quarter against the back-to-back NBA champs, the critical moments came and kept coming. And the Warriors responded every time for their most impressive win of the season.
Curry was 8 of 15 from beyond the 3-point arc and added 12 assists. Power forward David Lee added 32 points and 14 rebounds, while Klay Thompson put in 16 and Harrison Barnes 15 as the Warriors (21-13) won at American Airlines Arena for the second consecutive season.
The Heat (24-8) had not lost to a Western Conference team since Dec. 2012, when the Warriors dropped them on a buzzer-beating layup by Draymond Green.
The Warriors outrebounded the Heat (40-31) and outshot them 56 percent to 51 percent.
LeBron James scored 26 points to lead Miami. Dwyane Wade added 22.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCE: The game ball goes to Curry, who ran the team and made key shot after key shot.
If there were a second game ball, it would be shared by Andre Iguodala and Lee. Iguodala did his usual tap-dance on the stat sheet (8 points, six assists, six rebounds, two steals) but, moreover, never let LeBron get into the zone.
TURNING POINT: Up by four (65-61) at the half, the Warriors opened the second half with a 16-6 run to take an 81-67 lead with 7:39 left in the third quarter. Curry scored 10 points during the rally and 14 in the quarter.
Miami spent the rest of the game playing catch-up, getting as close as four in the fourth quarter.
INJURY REPORT: Warriors: Centers Jermaine O'Neal (right wrist surgery) and Festus Ezeli (right knee surgery) are out indefinitely.
Hawks: Center/forward Al Horford (torn pectoral muscle) is out for the season. Forward DeMarre Carroll (thumb) and guard John Jenkins (leg, back) are day to day.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Warriors left Miami immediately after the game for Atlanta, where on Saturday they face the Hawks at Philips Arena. The Warriors have swept the Hawks in two of the last three seasons.
