Stephen Curry scores 24 points in his return to lead the Warriors past the Wizards, 125-112

WASHINGTON (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half in his return from an ankle injury and the Golden State Warriors won their fourth straight game, 125-112 over the Washington Wizards on Monday night.

The first three games of Golden State's winning streak came without Curry, but he was able to start against the Wizards, although he played only 24:05. Curry opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, then didn't make another field goal until his buzzer-beating 3 at the end of the first half gave the Warriors a 54-45 lead.

Buddy Hield scored 20 points, part of another strong contribution from the Golden State bench. The Warriors' reserves outscored Washington's 60-33. Golden State has averaged an edge of 24 points per game in bench points so far this season.

Jordan Poole led Washington with 24 points Kyle Kuzma (right groin strain) missed his third straight game for the Wizards, and Marvin Bagley III (illness) also sat out.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was at the game and received a huge ovation from the crowd.

Takeaways

Warriors: Golden State used 13 players. Twelve of them played between 13:06 and 28:53. Although the Warriors have shown off their depth, Curry's return gives them a true star to lean on.

Wizards: Washington was competitive despite shooting just 23% from 3-point range. Kyshawn George had 20 points. He was 6 of 17 from beyond the arc.

Key moment

The Wizards trailed by just five in the fourth quarter, but Golden State responded with a jumper by Jonathan Kuminga. After an offensive foul by George, Lindy Waters III made a 3-pointer — his lone basket of the game — to make it 106-96.

Key stat

Golden State's Steve Kerr coached his 800th game, becoming the 18th coach to reach that milestone with only one team.

Up next

Washington begins a five-game trip at Memphis on Friday night. The Warriors are at Boston on Wednesday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

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This version has been corrected to show Curry scored 16 points in the second half.

Noah Trister, The Associated Press