'Rudderless' Warriors suffer staggering season-high defeat, Giannis downs Blazers with 47-point haul

LA, April 3: The Golden State Warriors suffered a season-worst 53-point defeat at the hands of a rampant Toronto Raptors in the NBA on Friday night.

The Raptors led by as much as 61 points in the last quarter, threatening the NBA's all-time record win of 68 points when the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat in 1991.

Pascal Siakam, on his 27th birthday, did plenty of damage with 36 points, seven rebounds and five assists as Toronto won the second and third quarters with a cumulative 81-30.

Toronto dominated Golden State without injured point guard Kyle Lowry with a foot infection too.

The Warriors' franchise record defeat is also 63 points, so some late points ensured they avoided further ignominy as they lined up without Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

"Without Steph and Draymond out there, I think we were a little bit rudderless when things went south," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

The Phoenix Suns also handed out a hiding, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 140-103, with guard Devin Booker scoring another haul of 32 points.

The Suns have won five in a row and are firm in second in the West with a 34-14 record.

Birthday buckets for Siakam! @pskills43 tallies a season-high 36 PTS in 3 quarters of action to lift the @Raptors on his birthday! pic.twitter.com/HtcDLYIhpx

— NBA (@NBA) April 3, 2021

Giannis dominates the Blazers, Jazz on song

Giannis Antetokounmpo produced a massive 47-point performance as the Milwaukee Bucks flexed their muscle with a 127-109 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Blazers, who have been in good form led by Damian Lillard, were humbled by the title contenders but Giannis played a major role.

The Greek forward scored 47 points and had 12 rebounds, while guard Jrue Halliday added 22 points and 10 assists to improve their record to 31-17.

Kyle Kuzma got 30 points as the Los Angeles Lakers claimed another win without LeBron James, getting past the Sacramento Kings 115-94.

The ladder leaders Utah Jazz made it eight wins in a row with a 113-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls led by Donovan Mitchell's 26 points, while Rudy Gobert had a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Jaylen Brown had 22 points and 11 rebounds in the Boston Celtics' 118-102 triumph over the Houston Rockets while Luka Doncic starred as the Dallas Mavericks beat the New York Knicks 99-86.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is just the second player in @NBAHistory to score 45+ points while shooting 85% from the field or better and grab 10+ rebounds in the same game. He joins Wilt Chamberlain (53 points, 20-23 FGM, 38 rebounds on 12/20/1967). @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/crcpIRy5Q1

— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) April 3, 2021

Hornets stung by injury again

Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward suffered a foot sprain which will likely sideline him for a period in his side's win over the Indiana Pacers. He'd shot 13 points, had eight rebounds and six assists before being forced out of the game, joining LaMelo Ball in the Hornets injury ward.

Giannis joins Wilt in exclusive club

It's hard to go past Giannis, with his 47-point display making him the second player in league history to score 45-plus points while shooting 85 per cent or better from the field along with having 10 or more rebounds. Wilt Chamberlain is the other. Exclusive company.

Friday's results

Toronto Raptors 130-77 Golden State Warriors Dallas Mavericks 99-86 New York Knicks Boston Celtics 118-102 Houston Rockets Charlotte Hornets 114-97 Indiana Pacers Memphis Grizzlies 120-108 Minnesota Timberwolves Atlanta Hawks 126-103 New Orleans Pelicans Utah Jazz 113-106 Chicago Bulls Milwaukee Bucks 127-109 Portland Trail Blazers Los Angeles Lakers 115-94 Sacramento Kings Phoenix Suns 140-103 Oklahoma City Thunder

Jazz and Magic

Several top sides are in action on Saturday including the leaders Utah Jazz (37-11) against the up-and-down Orlando Magic (17-31).