The Golden State Warriors welcomed head coach Steve Kerr back to the bench for the first time this season with a 122-110 NBA victory over the Indiana Pacers Friday. Kerr, who had been sidelined by complications from pre-season back surgery, slipped seamlessly back into place, his return overshadowed by the stunning dismissal of head coach David Blatt by the Cleveland Cavaliers — the team Kerr and the Warriors beat in the NBA Finals last season. The Cavs sent shockwaves through the league when the sent Blatt packing, despite owning a 30-11 record that puts them atop the Eastern Conference standings. "It's a tough business when you go 30-11 and you get fired (after) you get to the Finals the year before," Kerr said. "It's crazy." The Cavaliers promoted associate coach Tyronn Lue to head coach, with general manager David Griffin saying that despite their record, the team was "regressing." "There's a lack of spirit and connectedness that I just couldn't accept," Griffin said. That's certainly not a problem for the Warriors, who thrived under interim coach Luke Walton as Kerr recovered from the after effects of a spinal fluid leak, which left him with debilitating headaches. Friday's victory took their record to 40-4. It was their 20th straight win on their home floor in Oakland this season — and their 38th straight at home in a streak dating back to last year. "I've been waiting for this for a very long time," said Kerr, who received a warm ovation from fans at Oracle Arena. Stephen Curry, who produced a triple-double of 39 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, said having Kerr back on the bench "just felt like normal." Forward Draymond Green added 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who remained ahead of the 38-6 San Antonio Spurs in the fight for the best record in the league, with the Western Conference powerhouses due to face off Monday. Spurs 108, Lakers 95: Manu Ginobili came off the bench to score 20 points and Kawhi Leonard had 18 as the San Antonio Spurs coasted to a 108-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Reserve guard Patty Mills added 15 points for the Spurs (38-6), who captured their season-high 13th win in a row. Guard Danny Green contributed 12 points, all of them coming on three-pointers, and point guard Tony Parker chipped in 10 points. Raptors 101, Heat 81: DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points and the Toronto Raptors extended their season-best winning streak to seven games on Friday with a 101-81 victory over the Miami Heat. It was the third straight game that DeRozan scored 30 or more points and the second time in a his career that he has accomplished that. Thunder 109, Mavericks 106: Dallas nearly pulled off a remarkable comeback that threatened a fifth consecutive home game going to overtime, but the Oklahoma City Thunder survived a final threat and hung on to a 109-106 victory at American Airlines Center. Dallas trailed by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter, but whittled it all the way down to 107-106 after third-string center Salah Mejri stuffed Thunder forward Kevin Durant at the rim and the Mavs guard Deron Williams followed with a three-pointer. Hornets 120, Magic 116 (OT): Kemba Walker had 40 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 120-116 victory in overtime over the Orlando Magic. Walker, who scored 52 points earlier this week against Utah, made 14 of 28 shots. Jazz 108, Nets 86: Gordon Hayward scored 21 points and the Utah Jazz rallied from a pair of early double-digit deficits before pulling away in the third quarter of a 108-86 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Hayward helped the Jazz rebound from a pair of tough overtime losses in Charlotte and New York by making eight of 12 shots and adding nine assists in 31 minutes. Other results: Celtics 110, Bulls 101; Clippers 116, Knicks 88; Rockets 102, Bucks 98. — Agencies
