THE Golden State Warriors beat the Indiana Pacers 120-83 Monday to extend their winning streak to eight.

    The most crucial part of the Warriors’ rout of the Pacers came more than 90 minutes before tip-off.

    That’s when Indiana head coach Nate McMillan announced that center Myles Turner would be sidelined with an ankle injury. It worsened an already difficult situation for Indiana: A night after outlasting the Thunder in overtime, the Pacers were without three of their top four scorers in Turner, Paul George (ankle) and C.J. Miles (knee).

    Golden State, which won its eight straight to improve to 12-2, did what the NBA’s elite do against overmatched opponents, exacting a thorough pummeling that allowed its core players to watch the fourth quarter from the bench.

    The Warriors led by as many as 36 points, held depleted Indiana to 32.4 percent shooting from the field (26.1 percent from beyond the arc) and made 27 of its 32 foul shots.

    Klay Thompson needed only 18 shots to score a game-high 25 points. Draymond Green (10 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two blocks) and Kevin Durant (14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two blocks) stuffed the stat sheet.

    Stephen Curry chipped in 22 on 6-of-11 shooting, even though his most brilliant moment didn’t count. With the clock winding down in the second quarter, Curry knifed past two defenders, double-pumped and launched from the Pacers’ three-point line. The 70-foot prayer swished through the net as a sellout crowd roared.

    Even Pacers fans appreciated the shot, but it came out of Curry’s hands after the clock struck all zeros and it didn’t count.

    Leading 19-15, the Warriors went on a 15-4 run to build a 15-point cushion late in the first quarter. They continued to spread the floor, attack the rim and midway through the third led by 30.

    Golden State has scored at least 100 points and dished out at least 30 assists in each game during its winning streak. In five of those games, it shot at least 50 percent from the field.

    Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs escaped with a 96-91 victory over the struggling Dallas Mavericks for their sixth straight victory. Dallas guard Seth Curry matched a career high with 23 points, shooting 5 for 10 on 3-pointers. Wesley Matthews and Harrison Barnes each had 20 points in the Mavericks’ sixth consecutive loss.

    With the Mavericks trailing 92-91, Barnes missed a fadeaway 17-footer with 15 seconds left that Manu Ginobili rebounded before being fouled. Ginobili hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 94-91, and Curry missed a 3-pointer with 6 seconds remaining. San Antonio has won six straight against Dallas and 12 in a row at home.

    The once-heated rivalry between the Texas teams has cooled considerably with the Spurs’ sustained success and the Mavericks’ injuries and free-agent troubles.

    Dallas (2-11) is off to its worst start since 1993-1994, when the Mavericks opened 1-23 in a 13-win season.

    LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker were in uniform but neither played as San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich opted to rest his veterans.

    Spurs rookies Dejounte Murray and Davis Bertans made their first starts in place of Parker and Aldridge, respectively, and fellow rookie Bryn Forbes also saw extended playing time.

    Barnes took advantage of the inexperience, making all but one of his six attempts in scoring 10 points in the opening quarter.

    (SD-Agencies)