OAKLAND, Calif. — Draymond Green hit an off-balance 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 40.2 seconds remaining in overtime, and the Golden State Warriors escaped with a 109-105 win against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night while Stephen Curry watched in street clothes with an injured ankle.
Andrew Bogut saved the ball from going out of bounds, and then Green got the shot off just in time with his legs splitting in the air while avoiding Kent Bazemore’s diving steal attempt.
Klay Thompson made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:54 remaining and another big basket at the 11.4-second mark on the way to 26 points. The Warriors won their second straight overtime game to earn a franchise-best 43rd straight regular-season home victory and 25th in a row this season.
Golden State (54-5) can tie the Bulls’ 44-game unbeaten mark at home from March 30, 1995, to April 4, 1996, when the Warriors host Oklahoma City on Thursday. They are also chasing the `95-96 Chicago team’s record 72-win season.
The Warriors won their sixth straight overall, improved to 5-0 in OT and haven’t lost at Oracle Arena since a 113-111 defeat to the Bulls on Jan. 27, 2015.
Atlanta’s Paul Millsap missed a wide open 3-pointer with 24 seconds left in regulation, and then Thompson and Bogut each missed potential winning shots in the closing seconds.
Millsap scored 19 points for Atlanta, which rallied from a 14-point deficit to force overtime before dropping to 0-4 in OT.
Reigning NBA MVP Curry sat out with a tender left ankle he injured at Oklahoma City on Saturday night before hitting the long, winning 3-pointer in overtime. Curry, with three straight 40-point games, was named Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 43.8 points over four games.
No Curry equaled some no-shows as many prime seats were vacant.
Shaun Livingston started in Curry’s place and had six points, seven rebounds and three assists in his 600th career game. Leandro Barbosa came off the bench to score nine of his 11 points in his first 5 minutes on the floor, while Bogut wound up with 19 points.
The Warriors kicked off March by the playing the first of 17 games over the final 24 at Oracle Arena after just two at home in February.
Green added 15 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and four steals in Golden State’s first home game since Feb. 9 after the Warriors completed an impressive 6-1 trip in which they won the last five following a 137-105 loss at Portland on Feb. 19 - and sealed their playoff berth, too, in the quest for another championship.
“It was a great trip especially to rebound after that blowout in Portland,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Now we’re really in the home stretch with 17 of our last 24 at home. The trip set us up to go for that 1 seed in the West, which is our goal.”
Atlanta had won two in a row leading into its four-game road swing out West.
Golden State played back-to-back overtime games for the first time since Dec. 13-14, 2005, a win at Seattle and a loss against Houston.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Atlanta signed veteran forward Kris Humphries, adding experienced depth to the Hawks’ front line. Humphries was waived by Phoenix on Sunday after averaging 7.3 points in four games. He was 0 for 9 from the field in his last game against the Nets on Thursday. ... The Hawks lost their third straight overall to Golden State and fourth in a row in Oakland.
Warriors: Mo Speights hit a pair of 3s in the fourth and had a highlight-reel worthy block of Al Horford in the first. ... Curry missed his third game after sitting out Dec. 30-31 with a bruised lower left leg. ... Swingman Andre Iguodala did not dress, sidelined while dealing with tightness in his left hamstring. ... Golden State last won four straight at home vs. Atlanta from Feb. 23, 2003, to Nov. 2, 2005. ... The Warriors became the fastest team to 50 wins in NBA history when they won 102-92 at Atlanta on Feb. 22. ... The Warriors’ three first-half turnovers matched their fewest in the opening half this season.