In 16 NBA seasons, there is very little Stephen Curry has not achieved. Yet the Golden State Warriors star still manages to challenge or seize new milestones that continue to affirm his greatness as he nears the end of a legendary career.
Curry scored 52 points and nearly matched his career-high for most 3-pointers made in a game in the Warriors’ 134-125 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night. The sharpshooter shot 12-for-20 on his 3-point attempts, tying the second most he’s hit in a game and finishing just two away from tying former teammate Klay Thompson for the most single-game 3s (breaking Curry’s previous record) in NBA history.
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The win was especially important for Golden State in its battle with the Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves for playoff seeding. The Warriors tied Memphis at 44-31 with the victory. But with wins over the Grizzlies in three of their four matchups this season, the Warriors hold the tiebreaker for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
Also notable is that Curry became the third player to record at least 50 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game, joining Rick Barry and Anthony Davis. He finished with 50 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and five steals on Tuesday. Four players have compiled a 50-10-5-5, with Joel Embiid achieving that rare stat line with five blocks in a Nov. 12, 2022, win for the Philadelphia 76ers over the Utah Jazz.
After Ja Morant hit a 3 to pull Memphis to within 130-125 with 35.1 seconds remaining in regulation, Curry set up Jimmy Butler to draw a foul near the basket. His two free throws gave the Warriors a seven-point lead, making it a three-possession game to essentially clinch the win. Curry followed up with two free throws of his own for the final margin.
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Butler finished with 27 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Draymond Green notched a triple-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.
Curry scored 32 points in the first half, shooting 8-of-10 from 3-point range. With that performance, he tied LeBron James for the third-most 30-point halves since the NBA began tracking comprehensive play-by-play data with the 1997-98 season. Curry’s six games with at least eight 3-pointers in a half is also the most ever.
Morant scored 36 points for the Grizzlies, hitting 5-of-8 from 3. Jaren Jackson Jr. followed with 22 points and seven rebounds before fouling out with two minutes left. Desmond Bane added 19 points with five assists, while Zach Edey grabbed 16 rebounds with four blocks.
With the loss, Memphis has dropped four consecutive games (three since head coach Taylor Jenkins was fired) and eight of its past 10. Meanwhile, Golden State has won three in a row, beginning April with a victory after going 11-4 in March.
