In case you missed the news from Sunday, here’s a quick recap of Stephen Curry’s night: a new career high in points scored (62), a personal best in free throws attempted in a NBA and NCAA game (19), ending a career-best streak in consecutive free-throws made (80), and setting a new Chase Center scoring record along the way.
Though Curry has put on some pretty stellar performances, we haven’t seen anything quite like this. Not a bad showing for the Warriors’ two-time MVP to wrap up a weekend.
Dub Nation witnessed Curry came out hot early in Sunday’s 137-122 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, dropping 21 of his 62 points in the first frame. He cooled off slightly come the second quarter and recorded just 10 points in the ensuing 12 minutes.
But the 31 points posted in each half put Curry in some elite NBA company as his performance marked the first time a player scored at least 30 points in both halves since the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant did it in 2005.
It was also the first time a Warrior posted 60 points since Curry’s Splash Brother since Klay Thompson did it on Dec. 5, 2016 against the Indiana Pacers.
He was not receiving shout-outs from just his teammates though. Players from across the league were impressed by Curry’s explosive performance. That included former teammate Andre Iguodala who shares three NBA Championship rings with Curry…
…Portland’s own Damian Lillard who was on the other side of the ball in Sunday’s game…
…and NBA two-time All-Star Isaiah Thomas who recognized not just Curry’s scoring from the one game, but noted how it exemplified Curry’s impact on the game of basketball.
Sunday’s performance came as a crowning achievement on what has already been a week for history books for the Warriors guard. The two-time MVP recently became just the third player in NBA history to reach the plateau of 2,500 three-pointers made, as well as surpassed Hall of Famer Rick Barry (1,6447) for second on the franchise’s all-time scoring list.
Since start of the 2020-21 campaign, Curry has led the Dubs in points and assists in every game this season. He is currently averaging 32.3 points per game, second league-wide only to James Harden (37.0) of the Houston Rockets. And though just a couple weeks into the season, seems like Curry is cranking it up a notch.
Notable Quotes from Sunday
Portland Head Coach Terry Stotts: “When we tried to get the ball out of his hands he’s able to get it back in his hands. It was a great performance by a great player.”
Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr: “Well, it was just a brilliant performance. We’ve seen Steph do so many things here over the years and so many amazing nights at Oracle and now here at Chase Center. It’s just a privilege to coach him. It really is. Not just because of his talent, but because of the way he carries himself and the way he leads. We are incredibly blessed as an organization to have Steph leading the way. What a performance tonight.”
Kelly Oubre Jr.: “It’s just amazing to watch. Like I said earlier in this year, he’s an anomaly man. So, whenever he does things that are just unheard of or that you’ve never seen before you’re kind of just expecting that at any moment. I was just happy to be on the same side as him tonight, because I know it stunk for the other team.”
James Wiseman: “It’s crazy. It reminds me of 2K, because I used to play with Steph all the time and I used to drop like 60 (points). So, just like actually watching in person, that was phenomenal. He’s a legend.”
Draymond Green: “I could see it from the very first possession, I told Loon (Kevon Looney) early in the game like, ‘Hey you keep screening him and get in his way. He’s not passing. Something’s going on. He’s shooting the ball.’ That was great to see though. He came out looking like a man on a mission, and that was right up there with one of his best performances that I’ve witnessed.”
Enes Kanter: “He was in the zone. Obviously, we try to do everything I mean he just made 62 points, I mean what can you do. Some of those shots we watched at halftime and after the game was just wild, it was crazy, but you know he makes those shots. I mean it was tough shots but you know what can you do, he’s one of the only ones that can make those shots.”
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