Stephen Curry finishes with 56 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals while shooting 16-for-25 from the field.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — When Stephen Curry has it going from long range like he did Thursday night — like he has more often than any player in NBA history — his coach just knows the ball is going in.
Curry scored 56 points in Golden State’s 121-115 victory over Orlando and made 12 3-pointers, including one from beyond midcourt that ended the first half.
“He’s had so many of those the last couple of years. As soon as he let it go, I said, ‘That’s in,’” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I just felt it, and I thought that set the tone for the second half.”
Curry then came back out and outscored the Magic 22-21 in the third quarter of his 1,000th regular-season start.
“A lot of guys contributed to the win,” Curry said, “but it’s nice to have a flurry like that and have fun with it.”
It was Curry’s 14th game of 50 or more points and he moved past Patrick Ewing into 26th place on the NBA’s career scoring list with with 24,867 points. He went 12-for-19 from 3-point range, making 10 or more for the NBA-record 26th time in his career. The 56 points fell six short of his career high.
“It never gets old watching it, I can tell you that,” Kerr said. “I think the fans here tonight, even the Magic fans, they know they’re witnessing the greatest shooter ever, and one of the greatest performers ever. It’s not just the shots going in, it’s the fluidity and the beauty of his motion, and the audacity, the shots he’s willing to take.”
Including the 50-footer just before the break that gave the Warriors some sorely needed momentum going into the locker room.
STEPHEN CURRY YOU ARE UNREAL 🤯🤯
CASUAL BUZZER BEATER FROM 3/4 COURT TO END THE HALF 🎯🎯🎯 pic.twitter.com/CdHcVxpe5W
— NBA (@NBA) February 28, 2025
“In the first half we had nothing going and he just kind of kept us afloat,” Draymond Green said. “And he continued that in the third quarter, completely took the game over.”
Curry fell one shy of his career high for 3-pointers and added to his legacy of big performances on Feb. 27. He scored 54 points with 11 3-pointers against the Knicks in 2013 and 46 against the Thunder in 2016 with 12 3s.
“When you have nights like these, you get them in all different types of ways … because you’re in the rhythm and the flow and the ball is finding you at the right time,” Curry said. “But you’ve got to have the footwork, the balance, the confidence to shoot it no matter what, no matter how they come, and be ready for your moment.
“So I practice all of ’em, and on some nights it just flows.”
He gave his jersey afterward to his mother who was sitting in the stands, an easy toss from just a few feet away.
But this night was all about what Curry can do from deep.
“I try pretty much every shot at some point, just to let your creativity kind of flow,” Curry said. “It’s a way to have fun and kind of test your range, to see the ball go in from all the places on the court.”
More Curry stats
3,969 and counting … Stephen Curry has made another 996 3-pointers since becoming the NBA’s all-time leader on Dec. 14, 2021.
- 45th career game with at least nine 3-pointers, which is as many as the next 5 players combined.
- 26th career game with at 10+ 3-pointers. Nobody else has more than 9.
- 14th career game with at 11+ 3-pointers. It’s only been done 39 times in NBA history.
- 9th career 50-point game since turning 30, the most in NBA history (next closest: Wilt Chamberlain with 7).
- Curry’s career scoring high is 62 points, set on Jan. 3, 2021 vs. Trail Blazers.
- Curry’s career high for 3-pointers in a game is 13, set on Nov. 4, 2016 vs. Lakers.
Article by:Source:
