STEPHEN CURRY set an NBA record with his 13th three-pointer, breaking the single-game mark he had previously shared with Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall. Such long-range heroics helped the Warriors sidestep a head-scratching letdown in their 116-106 win over the Pelicans on Monday.

    Three days after snapping his NBA-record streak of 157 straight outings with a three, Curry poured in a game-high 46 points on 16-of-26 shooting (13-of-17 from beyond the arc). Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant chipped in 24 and 22 points, respectively.

    Nursing a three-point lead with 7:30 left, the Warriors used a 6-0 spurt to build somewhat of a cushion. Curry’s record-setting three ice a win that featured nine ties and nine lead changes.

    The interior defense remains a major concern. Though the Pelicans finished just 7-of-21 from three-point range Monday, they were 32-of-59 (54.2 percent) on two-point attempts. The vast majority of Anthony Davis’ team-high 33 points came within five feet of the basket.

    Though the Warriors improved from distance, hitting 16-of-35 threes, they failed to attack the rim with regularity and attempted only 12 free throws. A 21-of-27 showing from the foul line helped New Orleans keep things close.

    Fresh off getting shellacked by the Lakers on the road, the Warriors continued to allow open driving lanes. The Pelicans, who entered Monday as one of the league’s two winless teams, were up much of the first half.

    In that lopsided loss in Los Angeles, Curry had failed to hit a three for the first time since Nov. 11, 2014. The two-time NBA MVP helped create distance Monday from New Orleans, hitting three three-pointers in a 27-5 run in the second quarter. He had six threes and 23 points by the time Golden State entered halftime up 63-49.

    Early in a season marked by championship-or-bust expectations, the Warriors have struggled to showcase their immense potential longer than flashes. Monday was no outlier. Out of intermission, the Pelicans blitzed Golden State 24-9 to retake the lead little more than midway through the third quarter.

    After being held to just three points on two shots in the second quarter, Davis had 12 in the third.

    This mismatch had the makings of a blowout. Eager to exorcise the memory of their 117-97 loss Friday to the Lakers, the Warriors were back in Oracle Arena against an 0-6 Pelicans team. New Orleans, missing three possible starters, had surrounded Davis with a supporting cast of NBA vagabonds.

    That Golden State again looked more flawed than dominant amplified fans’ biggest question: How long will it take for this “super team” to start consistently flexing its proverbial muscle? Outside of last week’s 26-point rout of Oklahoma City, when the opponent was on the second night of a back-to-back, the Warriors have yet to deliver the kind of home drubbing the Bay Arena grew accustomed to last season.

    In another game, James Harden set aside a slow start to finish with 32 points and 15 assists — his fourth straight 30-10 game — and led the Houston Rockets past the slumping Washington Wizards 114-106 Monday night.

    “Chemistry with everybody is getting there,” Harden said after helping Houston improve to 4-3, with help from Ryan Anderson’s 23 points, Trevor Ariza’s 15 and Clint Capela’s 14. “It’s just predicated on me making the right decision.”

    Washington’s John Wall broke Hall of Fame center Wes Unseld’s franchise record for career assists before getting ejected with 33.3 seconds left and his team trailing by five en route to falling to 1-5.

    Official Marc Davis explained the reason for Wall’s second technical foul this way via a pool report: “After granting the team a timeout, I felt that there was contact and that he bumped me. I wasn’t certain of his intent. I told him to watch himself.

    “He looked over his shoulder and used vulgarity and inappropriate language.”

    Wall left with 21 points and eight assists.

    “I didn’t do a good job of helping us win,” he said.

    Harden shot just 1 for 4 and had five turnovers in the opening period, which ended with Washington ahead 30-23, and had only seven points by halftime.

    (SD-Agencies)