National Basketball Association

Curry scores 44 as perfect Warriors beat Raptors 112-109

Published Dec. 5, 2015 8:16 p.m. ET

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TORONTO (AP) Stephen Curry made nine 3-pointers and scored 44 points, leading the undefeated Golden State Warriors to a 112-109 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.

Curry was 14 for 24 from the field and 9 for 15 from beyond the arc as Golden State pushed its NBA-record start to 21-0. Klay Thompson scored 26 points, and Draymond Green had 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the win moved Golden State past the St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association, a predecessor to Major League Baseball, for the best start to a season by a professional sports team.

Kyle Lowry made six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 41 points for Toronto, which has dropped three of four. DeMar DeRozan recovered from an ugly 1-for-10 shooting performance in the first half, finishing with 16 points.

Lowry found Lucas Nogueira for an alley-oop dunk with 2:03 to go, tying it at 102. Green responded with two foul shots for Golden State. After DeRozan went 1 for 2 at the line, Curry hit two more free throws.

Curry and Thompson then combined to go 6 for 6 at the line in the final 18.2 seconds to help Golden State hang on.

At 25 consecutive regular-season wins, the Warriors possess the third-longest streak in NBA history, behind only the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (33) and the 2012-13 Miami Heat (25).

The game turned into something of 3-point shooting contest between Curry and Lowry, with the reigning NBA MVP taking the personal duel and the game. Each star also had seven assists.

Golden State led 59-49 at the break, but Lowry scored 13 in the third to help Toronto slice its deficit to four heading into the final period.

Golden State suffered a scare in the second quarter when Curry left the court clutching his face following a collision with DeMarre Carroll's shoulder after hitting a layup, forcing the Warriors to burn a 20-second timeout. But he returned less than a minute later.

Fresh off his 40-point effort in Charlotte on Wednesday, Curry connected on his first five shots, including four 3-pointers, for 14 points as Golden State jumped to an 11-point lead after 12 minutes.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Golden State outscored its opponents by a total of 308 points in its first 20 games, the best margin in NBA history for that point in the season. ... Andrew Bogut (back) and Harrison Barnes (left ankle) sat out.

Raptors: Toronto has led at the end of the first quarter in just six of its 21 games so far this season. ... The Raptors played consecutive home games for the first time this season, the last team in the NBA to do so. ... On the second anniversary of the death of former South African president Nelson Mandela, Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri hosted ''The Giant of Africa,'' an evening-long celebration of Mandela's life and legacy. The players all wore specially designed T-shirts during warmups and on the bench and the Raptors welcomed a number of special guests, including former NBA stars Isiah Thomas and Bob Lanier along with international soccer star Didier Drogba.

UP NEXT

Warriors: Visit Brooklyn on Sunday.

Raptors: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.