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Arms spread like an airplane, Stephen Curry took off down the sideline to celebrate making a very Stephen Curry-like 3-pointer.
After receiving the pitch from Draymond Green, Curry jumped, leaned and shot the ball from 27 feet out, drawing contact from guard Gary Trent Jr. As Curry fell to the court, the ball swished through the basket in the final seconds of the Warriors’ 137-122 victory over the Trail Blazers Sunday at Chase Center to give him 62 points — a new career high.
This was a much-needed win for the Warriors (3-3), who lost to the Trail Blazers (3-3) by 25 points in the first of this two-game series on Friday, and an inevitable breakout performance by Curry.
“I had a feeling it was coming pretty quickly,” said head coach Steve Kerr. “He’s looked great from the start of camp, physically, but he’s barely played basketball the last year and a half.”
Over the last 14 months, Curry has rehabbed from a broken left hand that sidelined him for most of Golden State’s 15-win 2019-20 season, isolated for an offseason while his peers on other teams competed in the NBA bubble and toiled in the early going of this season as he tried to find his rhythm and jell with a new-look supporting cast.
But in recent days, Curry had moments that brought to mind what set the two-time MVP apart during so much of his 11-year career: brief scoring spurts, made contested jumpers and, in a practice last week, setting a personal record with 105 consecutive made 3-pointers.
So when Curry took the floor Sunday night averaging near-career low shooting percentages of 41.3 overall and 31.8 from 3-point range, he did so inspired to get the better of Portland.
“I told [Kevon Looney] early in the game,” Green said, “‘You keep screening … because he’s not passing.’”
Sheeeesh @StephenCurry30 🔥!! Welcome to the club big bro #62 🐐
— klay thompson (@KlayThompson) January 4, 2021
Curry set the tone early with 21 points in the first quarter and 31 in the first half. With dazzling dribble moves, nifty finishes and patented pull-up jumpers, Curry surpassed his previous career-high of 54 points (at New York in February 2013).
Curry’s spectacular night set a new Chase Center high, taking ownership of the record from Portland’s Damian Lillard (39 points on Nov. 4, 2019), who finished Sunday with 32 points and four assists and helped lead a late comeback effort.
Lillard’s back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the fourth quarter cut the Warriors’ lead — which had earlier reached 20 points — to single digits, but Curry answered with a 3-pointer of his own to keep the Trail Blazers at a comfortable distance.
Curry’s leaning pull-up jumper from 27 feet out with 42 seconds remaining put the finishing touch on his career game. Afterwards, Kerr pulled him for what would have been his walk-off opportunity in front of fans in non-pandemic times. But, playing without fans in attendance, the applause and cheers came only from his teammates.
“We just had a better energy to start the game where you can feed off of that,” Curry said. “And in this league, that’s all you really need.”
They also needed Green who, in his second game this season after missing the first four with a foot injury, did not score until 2:14 to go but helped make plays on offense and anchored the defense.
“He’s putting us in spots and getting Steph off the ball, which in turn confuses the defense,” Kerr said of Green, who finished with one point, eight assists and three rebounds and was a team-best plus-22 in 28 minutes. “That’s been really great to have him back.”
Throughout the game, Green helped erase Portland’s reliable pick-and-roll sets, recorded a weak-side block on a CJ McCollum layup and jawed with Lillard in his typical fiery fashion.
It was Green’s assist that led to a 3-pointer from Kelly Oubre Jr. (17 points, five rebounds, two steals) and opened the Warriors’ 20-point lead with 4:08 left in the third quarter.
With Green supervising the offense and Curry whizzing around the court, their new teammates experienced the hallmarks of the Warriors teams that went to five-straight Finals.
“He’s an anomaly man,” Oubre said of Curry, who posted a final stat line of 62 points on 18-for-31 shooting (8-for-16 from 3-point range and 18-of-19 from the free-throw line), five rebounds and four assists in 36 minutes.
“I was just happy to be on the same side as him tonight,” he said, “because I know it stunk for the other team.”
However over the last few days, as the Warriors stumbled to start the season, questions mounted from national and social media about whether or not the 32-year-old Curry is still a player who can lead a championship-level team. After Friday’s loss to Portland, Lillard suggested Curry looked mortal when not surrounded by All-Star talent.
Curry gave a wink to doubters with an Instagram post overnight, writing “Sometimes you don’t have to say anything” as part of his caption. Of course, it was sandwiched between statements about having fun on the court, an overriding theme of his 12-year NBA career.
The Warriors dynasty may be over, but for Curry this 62-point outburst assured his critics he’s still in the heart of his prime. It put him in the company of Kobe Bryant, who on Dec. 20, 2005, was the last player score at least 30 points in both halves of a game. Curry also joined Klay Thompson, Rick Barry, Joe Fulks and Wilt Chamberlain as Warriors players to eclipse 60 points in a game.
“The great ones always are confident in who they are,” Curry said. “No matter what is said … it doesn’t affect us or me in that respect.”
