Thompson’s late treys spark Golden State

OAKLAND - The Golden State Warriors have 19 games left but on Wednesday matched their win total from a season ago with a 105-98 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

But for a home game against a cellar dweller from the Eastern Conference, this was a far from typical performance. Detroit (23-41) briefly led early in the fourth quarter and made Golden State (51-12) sweat before Klay Thompson helped the Warriors pull away.

Thompson finished with 27 points and had 10 during a key 18-2 fourth-quarter run that allowed Golden State to finally shake free. Thompson’s performance helped offset a rough shooting night for star Stephen Curry.

Curry was held to nine points, only the second time this year he’s scored in single digits and the first time since Nov. 21 against Utah. He finished 4 of 15 from the field and just 1 of 7 from beyond the arc but delivered 11 assists and five rebounds.

While Curry didn’t reach double digits, five other players joined Thompson in doing so. Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green had 13 points each, Andrew Bogut and Marreese Speights had 12 each, and Leandro Barbosa had 10.

The Warriors shot well throughout the game, finishing at a 52.4 percent clip. But they allowed 21 offensive rebounds, with Andre Drummond getting 17 of his 27 boards on the offensive glass. Golden State also committed 17 turnovers.

The Warriors were up just 56-51 at halftime despite hitting 57.1 percent of their shots. They did most of their damage from inside the arc. They were only 3 of 10 from 3-point range and committed 10 first-half turnovers.

Bogut was the most active player offensively, with all 12 of his points coming in the first half. He even delivered a highlight-worthy dunk when he flew in for a one-handed jam.

The third quarter started stagnantly for the Warriors, and the Pistons tied it at 63 with under seven minutes to go.

Curry finally floated in a jumper to regain the lead and gave a long, exhausted look at the basket afterward.

But the Pistons stayed right there and took their first lead since the early minutes when veteran Tayshaun Prince hit a jumper with 5:26 left in the third.

The Warriors used a 7-0 run to gain some life back but took just a three-point advantage into the fourth quarter.

Detroit went up 81-79 with 9:26 to play, but the Warriors’ 18-2 run followed as they finally gained some breathing room.

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy called the Warriors’ Green an “ideal” player who would be a great addition to any roster.

“Everybody needs that kind of guy,” Van Gundy, also Detroit’s president of basketball operations, said when asked if his team needs to add a tough guy like Green to its roster. “Yeah, absolutely. Everybody needs those guys.”

Green will be a restricted free agent this offseason, and a Yahoo.com report last month indicated the Michigan native and former Michigan State star would have interest in playing for his hometown Pistons.

Green has deflected that talk, saying he’s focused on a run at a championship this year with Golden State. The Warriors also have the right to match any offer Green receives and have intimated they plan to do so.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr expects to rest some players in the upcoming games as the Warriors continue a busy stretch.

By Saturday, Golden State will have played five games in seven nights, alternating home and road each time. The next three (Denver, New York and Los Angeles Lakers) are all against teams well below .500 before the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Hawks visit March 18.