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    All-time Steph moment has NBA in meltdown; Simmons’ season-high as Aussies shine — Wrap

    Don’t tell Steph Curry he can’t be Steph Curry any more, just because he’s almost 36.

    Arguably the NBA’s greatest ever shooter had another all-time moment to save Golden State’s season in a critical win over Phoenix on Sunday (AEDT).

    Trailing by two points with 3.3 seconds left, the Warriors’ in-bounds pass to Curry was poor, forcing him to scramble just to reach the ball.

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    He quickly put up a shot from 29 feet away and drained the three to seal the last-second win.

    “The wherewithal to make the catch after this kind of a pass and be on balance? Come on,” ESPN analyst Doris Burke said.

    The win keeps the Warriors in touch with the playoff race, now sitting in the 10th seed with a 25-25 record, while the Suns are sixth in the West amid a less-than-spectacular season for one of the title favourites.

    76ers slump to 8th loss from 9 games | 00:49

    SIMMONS’ SEASON-HIGH IN DAZZLING DISPLAY

    Ben Simmons put on his best offensive display yet in the Brooklyn Nets’ 123-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

    In just his fifth game after a lengthy lay-off due to injury, Simmons finished with 13 points, three rebounds and five assists.

    Simmons’ 13 points was also his largest haul of the season, beating his previous best of 11 points against Charlotte back in October.

    Simmons’ array of offensive skills was on show for all to see, including a delightful 10-foot fadeaway early in the fourth quarter.

    The Aussie drove with the ball at San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson before spinning back inside and firing off a shot while falling back to evade Dominick Barlow.

    Simmons also delivered a thunderous dunk in the third quarter when he produced a perfect give-and-go with Day’Ron Sharpe, ghosting in completely unguarded before latching onto a floated pass to slam the ball into the hoop.

    It wasn’t all perfect for the Aussie though as he lead the Nets in turnovers with four.

    Ben Simmons enjoyed his highest points tally of the season. (Photo by ELSA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP

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    OKC COACH LEAPS TO GIDDEY’S DEFENCE AMID AUSSIE STAR’S SHOOTING WOES

    Josh Giddey’s shooting woes were on full display as the Oklahoma City Thunder went down 146-111 to the Dallas Mavericks.

    Giddey finished the contest with just 11 points as he missed a staggering 11 shots from 14 attempts (21.4 per cent), including six failed efforts from three-point range.

    It’s not like his shots were of supreme difficulty, either.

    One such moment occurred during the third quarter when the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren passed the ball to Giddey, who was wide open in the left corner of the court.

    Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic didn’t even bother trying to shut down Giddey, who clanked his effort onto the rim.

    It wasn’t the first time a team didn’t feel the need to close the space on Giddey whenever he has wide-open looks.

    However, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault felt the Aussie still performed his role effectively as he wanted to create a “diversity of attacks” to keep teams guessing.

    “I mean, we’ve seen it all year, so it’s nothing new for us,” Daigneault said in his post-match press conference.

    “We want to have a diversity of attacks against it, which includes the cutting, includes using him (Giddey) as a screen depending on who the five is. We thought that was effective today.

    Giddey’s shooting game was not at its best against Dallas. (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)Source: Supplied

    “And then he’s just got to shoot when he has the open shot.

    “It was effective today for a number of reasons outside of just him. We’ve seen it a lot, we’ve attacked it well in the past. We’ve got to keep learning from it and keep growing.”

    Aside from Giddey’s shooting woes, the Thunder’s offence was largely kept quiet by the Mavericks as superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander mustered just 25 points, while Chet Holmgren enjoyed a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

    On the flip side, the Mavericks enjoyed an offensive explosion as they outscored the Thunder 75-49 in the second half.

    Central to the onslaught were Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who racked up 32 and 25 points respectively while Daniel Gafford chipped in with a respectable 19-point haul.

    As for Aussie gun Josh Green, he finished just six points, two rebounds and two assists.

    FULL NBA SCORES

    Mavericks 146-111 Thunder

    Clippers 112-106 Pistons

    Nets 123-103 Spurs

    Wizards 113-119 Sixers

    Hornets 115-106 Grizzlies

    Magic 114-108 Bulls (OT)

    Knicks 111-125 Pacers

    Raptors 95-119 Cavaliers

    Hawks 122-113 Rockets

    Warriors 113-112 Suns

    Trail Blazers v Pelicans

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