By JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry has counted on staying healthy after injuries limited him to 51 games last season. Everything was going according to plan for the Golden State star — until Thursday night.
The two-time MVP left with a leg injury and the Warriors were unable to recover in a 134-111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks that snapped their eight-game winning streak.
“He seems good to me. I’ve got to talk to him tomorrow and see how he’s doing,” teammate Kevin Durant said. “Hopefully he’s doing well.”
Eric Bledsoe scored seven straight points during Milwaukee’s big third quarter and finished with 26. Giannis Antetokounmpo added 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists as the Bucks handed the Warriors their first defeat at home this season.
The two-time defending NBA champions were already missing All-Star Draymond Green and then lost Curry midway through the third. Curry strained the adductor muscle in his left leg and went to the locker room shortly thereafter. He did not return.
Curry grabbed at his inner thigh after trying to contest Bledsoe’s shot in transition at the 6:50 mark of the third. He was receiving treatment postgame and is expected to have an MRI today.
Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 24 points and Durant had 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Curry scored 10 points in his second straight game below 20 after getting at least 23 in every game previously — including five 30-point performances and a 51-point outing in three quarters. He dished out six assists in 26 minutes.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said his players took the floor with “mindless intent” and then hurt themselves with foul trouble.
“Sometimes you’ve got to get hit in the mouth in this league to remind you how hard it is to win a game,” he said.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points and Khris Middleton had 17 points and six assists as Milwaukee (9-2) won for the second straight time at Oracle Arena after a 116-107 victory on March 29.
The Bucks outscored the Warriors 41-28 in the third and shot 65 percent inside the arc (43 of 66) overall.
“To come in here and play the defending champs and have a win like this, it’s huge,” Brogdon said. “It’s huge for our confidence. I think it sends a message around the league, but regardless we have to continue to play hard every night and play on both ends.”
Antetokounmpo had 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block by halftime as the Bucks led 64-51 at the break.
Bledsoe hit back-to-back layups to put the Bucks ahead 84-64 midway through the third then answered Curry’s jumper with a 3-pointer the next time down. Donte DiVincenzo’s basket at the 4:06 mark made it 93-69 and Kerr called a timeout.
Jordan Bell had four points and five rebounds for the Warriors while moving into the starting lineup in place of Green, sidelined after spraining his right foot and toe in the first half of Monday’s win over the Grizzlies.
Golden State (10-2) is still tied for the second-best start in franchise history behind the 2015-16 team that began 24-0. The Warriors dropped to 6-1 at home.
“They just played hungrier than us,” Thompson said. “It was just an ugly night at the office.”
Trail Blazers 116,
Clippers 105
PORTLAND, Ore. — Damian Lillard had 25 points and the Portland Trail Blazers won their third straight game, 116-105 over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.
CJ McCollum added 23 points for Portland, which has won six of seven.
Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams each scored 20 for the Clippers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a career-high 19.
Portland had struggled all night to separate from the Clippers, but pulled in front 93-83 on Zach Collins’ dunk with 9:42 left. Another dunk by Collins put the Blazers up 100-90 with 6:10 to go.
The Clippers closed to 107-101 on Gallinari’s jumper, but Jusuf Nurkic answered for Portland with a layup and Los Angeles could not get any closer down the stretch.
There were questions before the game about the availability of Clippers forward Tobias Harris because of illness. Coach Doc Rivers said Harris was a game-time decision, but he was ultimately in the starting lineup.
Harris, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, finished with 15 points and 11 boards for his fifth double-double this season.
The Clippers were without Avery Bradley for the second straight game because of a left ankle sprain, and Luc Mbah a Moute missed his seventh game with a sore left knee.
The Clippers missed Bradley’s perimeter defense against Lillard and McCollum.
Portland was without Maurice Harkless, who has missed seven straight games because of a sore left knee. Jake Layman has been starting in his place.
The Blazers led 37-28 after the first quarter, paced by McCollum’s 10 points. Portland never could extend the lead to double digits and led just 61-57 at the break. Gilgeous-Alexander and Montrezl Harrell each had 12 first-half points for the Clippers, while Lillard led all scorers with 14.
Al-Farouq Aminu hit a 3-pointer that gave Portland a 78-68 lead, its largest to that point, midway through the third quarter. The Clippers narrowed it again, closing to 81-77 on Harris’ driving floater.
Nurkic fouled out with 1:57 left, finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Thunder 98, Rockets 80
OKLAHOMA CITY — Paul George scored 20 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 98-80 on Thursday night without point guard Russell Westbrook for their seventh straight victory.
Westbrook missed his second consecutive game with a sprained left ankle. George also had 11 rebounds, six assists and six steals. The Thunder were 0-4 before the streak.
Steven Adams had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Terrance Ferguson and Dennis Schroder each added 14 points. James Harden scored 19 points, but made just 7 of 19 shots for the Rockets. Clint Capela added 17 points for Houston. The Rockets had won three in a row.
Houston’s Carmelo Anthony, who played for the Thunder last season and was traded this summer, scored two points on 1-for-11 shooting. Chris Paul added 10 points.
Celtics 116, Suns 109, OT
PHOENIX — Kyrie Irving scored 18 of his season-high 39 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and Boston overcame a 22-point deficit to beat Phoenix.
Irving scored Boston’s first six points in the extra period, and Marcus Morris finished with 17 against his former team — including the tying 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in regulation.
Devin Booker led the Suns with a season-high 38 points, and T.J. Warren had 29.
