Warriors 111, Heat 103
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Stephen Curry scored nine of his game-high 31 points after the Miami Heat closed within seven midway through the fourth quarter, helping the Golden State Warriors hold on for a 111-103 victory Monday night.
Golden State power forward Draymond Green recorded a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double. Shooting guard Klay Thompson dropped in 17 points as the Warriors (36-2) ran their home record to 18-0 this season with their 36th consecutive home-court victory overall.
It didn't come easy against a Heat team that prevailed in eight of its previous 11 trips to Oakland.
The Warriors hit only seven of their 23 3-point attempts. Even Curry struggled from beyond the arc, going 4-for-11 on a night when he was just 11-for-27 overall.
However, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player preserved his club's seventh consecutive win with two 3-pointers, a midrange jumper and one free throw over the final 4:52 to complete his 16th 30-point game of the season.
Shooting guard Dwyane Wade led six Heat players in double figures, scoring 20 points, but even he had an off night from the field, missing 13 of 19 attempts.
Center Chris Bosh and backup guard Gerald Green had 15 points apiece for the Heat (22-16), who were making the third stop on a six-game trip.
The loss was just Miami's fourth in 15 games against Western Conference clubs this season.
The Warriors led just 92-85 before reserve swingman Andre Iguodala and Curry sandwiched three free throws by Thompson with 3-pointers, accounting for a 9-3 spurt that gave Golden State its largest lead of the night at 101-88 with 4:52 to play.
However, as was the case on several previous occasions, the Heat toughened up when it needed to do so. Small forward Luol Deng had a tip-in, another interior hoop and a 3-pointer in a 9-2 Miami counter that prompted a Warriors timeout at 103-97 with 2:35 to go.
Green dunked on Golden State's first possession after the timeout, and when Curry converted a 15-footer the next time the Warriors got the ball, the lead was back up to 10 at 107-97 with 1:42 to go.
Curry's final hoop, a 3-pointer with 26.9 seconds to play, iced the Golden State win.
The Warriors gained their first double-digit lead of the game in the sixth minute of the third quarter, getting 2- and 3-pointers from Thompson in a 13-3 burst that opened a 69-59 advantage.
The Heat wouldn't go away, though, and when Gerald Green bombed in a 3-pointer to trigger a 7-0, quarter-ending run, Miami was back within 80-77 entering the final period.
Curry recorded 18 of his points in a very evenly contested first half, one that ended with Golden State clinging to a 56-54 lead.
Bosh had 13 points and Wade 12 in the half for the Heat, which led by as many as seven in the first quarter.
There were seven lead changes and eight ties in the half.
NOTES: The Warriors welcomed back key reserve SG Leandro Barbosa, though he didn't get off the bench. He hasn't played since Christmas Day against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a shoulder injury. ... The thumbs-down on Heat C Hassan Whiteside (knee) came after pregame warmups. ... Asked before the game if he wanted his team to be more deliberate on offense against the Warriors, Heat coach Eric Spoelstra responded, "How much more deliberate can we be?" Miami entered the game 25th in the NBA in scoring at 97.0 points per game. ... The NBA announced Monday that it would be adding the Heat's home game against the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 9 to its TNT schedule, replacing Washington-New York. The starting time will be pushed back a half-hour to 8 p.m. ET.