Steph Curry scores 40 in three quarters as Warriors make it 20 wins in a row

Curry had 28 points in the third quarter and finished with 40 for the game despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter. He was 14 of 18 from the field and eight of 11 from three-point range.

Afterward, he said he could not have imagined a better evening, especially since the Hornets honored his father Dell as their all-time scoring leader in a ceremony at halftime.

"It was a cool atmosphere to play in," he said. "Especially on top of my dad's ceremony. It was nice to be able to get out there at halftime and hear his speech, standing with my mom and sister and my aunts and my grandma.

"So I can't ask for more, to play like I did and get the win on top of my dad's ceremony."

The win moved the Warriors to 20-0, extending the best start in NBA history. The Warriors have now won 24 straight regular-season games dating back to last season.

"It's getting surreal, for sure," Curry said. "It doesn't even sound right, to be honest. The NBA has so many great teams and great talents, so to be able to put on a run like this is special. It says a lot about our focus night in and night out.

"We don't always play our best but we find different ways to win. That's the strength of our team. Different guys step up on different nights."

The Warriors took command quickly, racing to a 28-13 lead and never looked back. They led by as many as 26 at one point.

Curry's explosion came over the final 7:26 of the third.

"Steph was incredible," Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton said. "In his hometown like this, 40 points in only three quarters, I mean, that's why he's MVP of the league."

Klay Thompson was the only other Golden State player in double figures with 21, 15 of those coming in the first quarter.

The Warriors shot 52.3 percent from the field for the game and were 16 of 34 from three-point range.

The Hornets (10-8) shot just 37.2 percent from the field, including Kemba Walker's woeful two of 16. Nicolas Batum led the way with 17 points, while Frank Kaminsky scored 16.

Hornets coach Steve Clifford tipped his hat to the Warriors.

"They played really well and obviously they're the best team in our league," Clifford said. "Steph had a great third quarter, obviously, in a variety of ways.

"The one thing that's disappointing and that has to change is you can't pick and choose when you're going to be physical. We got beat up again on the glass and we have to have someone who is willing to hit people in there."

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Lakers guard Kobe Bryant scored a season-high 31 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 30.8 seconds remaining, as Los Angeles snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 108-104 win over the Washington Wizards.

Bryant, who announced his retirement on Sunday, scored 18 points in the first half and 12 in the fourth quarter. Displaying vintage moves with pull-up and fadeaway jumpers, the 20-year veteran efficiently scored in the first half while leaving enough energy left for the fourth quarter.

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The New York Knicks snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Philadelphia 76ers 99-87 at Madison Square Garden.

Rookie forward Kristaps Porzingis registered his ninth double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for the Knicks (9-10).

Arron Afflalo added 13 points and eight rebounds, and forward Carmelo Anthony returned after missing one game due to illness, scoring 12 points in the wire-to-wire win.

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Kyle Lowry shook off flu-like symptoms to score 31 points and help the Toronto Raptors overcome a 17-point deficit en route to defeating the Atlanta Hawks 96-86.

Lowery actually left the court with 4:11 in the first half when he felt sick. He returned in the second half and scored 16 of his team's points during an 18-4 run in the fourth quarter.

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Chicago center Pau Gasol had 26 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Bulls to a 99-90 comeback win over the Denver Nuggets at the United Center.

The Bulls (11-5) trailed the Nuggets by four entering the fourth quarter and outscored them 31-18 in the final 12 minutes. The Nuggets were ahead 79-77 when the Bulls went on a 12-2 run.

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James Harden posted a double-double, and three Houston reserves scored in double figures for the first time this season as the Rockets clawed out a 108-101 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Toyota Center.

Harden finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds while adding six assists. He did not hit his first three-pointer until the 3:15 mark of the fourth quarter, a huge basket that pushed the Rockets (8-11) to a 99-92 lead.

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Reggie Jackson scored 18 of his game-high 34 points after the third quarter to help the Detroit Pistons rally from a 16-point deficit in the fourth to earn a 127-122 overtime win over the Phoenix Suns at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Pistons (10-9) trailed 102-86 with 8:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, but rallied with a 21-2 run to take a 107-104 lead with 1:47 left in the fourth after a layup by Jackson.

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Tim Duncan scored 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs shrugged off some early ragged play to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 95-70 and remain undefeated at home.

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Paul George scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers won their sixth in a row with a 103-91 victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.

Reserve guard Rodney Stuckey added 18 points, Ian Mahinmi chipped in 14 and seven rebounds and Jordan Hill contributed 13 points and eight rebounds for the Pacers (12-5), who have won 12 of 14 after an 0-3 start.