Chef Curry has cooked up yet another savory dish, this one being one of his most historic of all! Steph dropped 53 points to pass Wilt Chamberlain for the most in Warriors franchise history, a record that had been held since 1964! His 53- point scoring spread would lead Golden State to a 116-107 victory, shutting down the No. 4 Western Conference seed Denver Nuggets.
Steph Curry now holds the franchise record with 17,818… and counting. Wilt Chamberlain previously held the franchise record at 17,783 points from his 1959-1965 seasons with the Warriors.
Curry has been on a roll as he dropped 44 just three games prior, leading his team to a win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Monday night served as no different story as no in-person attendance was needed for the two-time NBA MVP to put on a complete clinic.
He would release two 3-point beauties in the game’s first 91 seconds! A pull-up 3 would inch Steph closer to passing Chamberlain’s record with just under two in the 1st quarter, and a right-handed layup would do it! Two raised fingers, pointing to the sky would signal Curry’s excitement as he became the leader of the Warriors all-time scoring list.
Curry would finish with 21 points in the first quarter alone, clearly wanting to knock out the record early. He’d add 9 more in the second quarter to close the half with 30, marking his seventh straight game with at least 30 points, the longest streak by a Warrior since Rick Barry during the 1966-67 season.
“You can feel it when he’s really got it going on and we could feel it pretty early tonight,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It was kind of surprising to see him break that record in the first quarter. We all figured he’d find a way to get 19 points tonight, but maybe not in the first quarter.”
Despite Steph’s early scoring, Denver would lead 61-56 at the half. The deficit called for extra reinforcement.
The 3rdquarter proved to be all the reinforcement Golden State needed as they unleashed total havoc on their opponents. Steph would rack in two threes, while Kent Bazemore would tack on another during a 21-5 run. A separate 10-0 run consisting of straight net 3s, a steal, and a rim-hanging slam dunk would all but seal the win as the Warriors entered the 4thquarter leading 99-83.
Although Denver was able to hold Golden State to 17 points in 4th, the pressure the Warriors applied in the 3rdoffered little breathing room for a comeback.
With his team running on a full tank, Draymond Green offered his own assistance with a season-high of 18 points while 7-for-8 shooting including being 2-for3 from the 3-point line. In addition to his offensive aid, Green would total seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals, playing his part in stopping the Nuggets and Denver’s MVP Nikola Jokić from picking up rhythm.
Jokić led the Nuggets with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Michael Porter Jr. added 24 points and nine rebounds. Jamal Murray scored 17 points before injuring his left knee in the final minute of the game, in what has been confirmed as a torn ACL.
None of this was enough, however, as a Steph-Curry led Warriors team had set the table for a victory. A victory in which the Chase Center served as host to a true scoring feast. Warriors would even end the meeting with 18 three-pointers to the Nuggets eight.
Curry would finish 14-of-24 from the field, including 10-of-18 from 3-point range. The three-time NBA champion also added six rebounds and four assists.
Monday’s matchup marked Curry’s ninth-career 50-point game, and sealed his name in the Warriors history book next to Wilt Chamberlain, one of the greatest scorers of all time.
“To be anywhere near him in any record book or now be on top, it’s surreal and it’s wild,” Curry said. “If you grow up in the game of basketball and you hear his name, you know it’s something extremely special, no matter what it is.”
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