Stephen Curry has repeatedly said over the last few weeks that he wants to make this season “mean something,” to lead the Warriors to a playoff berth and perhaps even notch his second career scoring title in the process.
Entering Saturday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Curry needed 22 points to maintain the edge over Washington’s Bradley Beal, who scored 50 points in an overtime win over the Pacers earlier in the night, for the scoring title.
Curry needed only 12 minutes to reach that mark, scoring 24 points in the first quarter of Golden State’s 136-97 win over the Thunder at Chase Center that gave the Warriors sole possession of eighth place in the Western Conference — yet another step in making this season meaningful.
The victory also completed a three-game season sweep over Oklahoma City and was powered by Curry’s 49 points on 14 for 26 shooting (11 for 21 from 3-point range) in 29 minutes. By the time Curry checked out for the last time at the end of the third quarter, the Warriors led by 39 points.
“He’s just always spectacular these days and tonight he topped it, he was really spectacular,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “When he got going there in the third, I think we had about 4,000 fans in the stands, and you could just hear every one of them in anticipation of the ball going into the hoop. It’s just amazing to me — the skill level is matched by his confidence level and magical things happen.”
Added Kevon Looney: “Steph puts on a show every night. It’s amazing some of the shots he hits, some of the shots he takes. It feels like one play all five guys were guarding him. He was still able to get up a shot and make it.”
It was Curry’s 10th 40-point game of the season, his seventh game with at least 10 3-pointers, and the 22nd of his career. To illustrate just how incendiary Curry has been: Klay Thompson is second for the most games with 10 or more 3-pointers in a career with five.
For all of his milestones and highlights, Curry’s eye-popping scoring numbers have lifted a flawed and shorthanded Warriors team into the thick of the playoff race.
Saturday’s win moved Golden State into the more desirable No. 8 spot in the West’s play-in tournament, meaning it would get two chances to win one game and advance to the postseason as opposed to being in the nine-10 game, which would require winning the first matchup and then beating the loser of the seven-eight game. The Warriors (35-33) are a half-game ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies (34-33), who beat the Toronto Raptors the same night.
The Warriors and Grizzlies meet in the regular-season finale on May 16, a game that could decide the tie-breaker.
Curry’s scoring spree and Golden State’s potential matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first-ever play-in tournament is the intrigue of the NBA. When the league introduced the play-in tournament for this pandemic-shortened season, it did not predict it featuring two of the league’s biggest stars in Curry and LeBron James. But after a strong start to the season, James and Anthony Davis missed extended time with injuries and the Lakers have slid 1½ games back of the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 6 seed.
Steph Curry's reaction when asked if the league would enjoy a Warriors-Lakers matchup in the play-in tournament.
……. pic.twitter.com/2ApulKg4in
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) May 9, 2021
Meanwhile, the Warriors will meet their matchup playing the best basketball of the season. Rookie center James Wiseman’s season-ending knee surgery shifted the organization’s focus from developing the second-overall pick to making the most of a playoff push. Since Wiseman suffered his meniscus injury on April 10, Curry and Draymond Green (15 points, 13 assists, five rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes Saturday) are playing as well as ever, and their championship credentials have created a sense of belief among an inexperienced supporting cast.
Upcoming games against the conference-leading Utah Jazz (Monday) and Phoenix Suns (Tuesday) will provide a stiffer test, especially if the injury-riddled Warriors are still limited to just eight players.
“This was great to get a couple of home wins and build some momentum,” Kerr said. “But now we’ve got to really put it together against two great teams in a back-to-back. So very difficult circumstances with both teams fighting for playoff positioning.”
The Warriors are likely too flawed to make a deep playoff run, but success is not limited to winning the championship. After missing most of last season with a broken hand, Curry is showing that at age 33 he is still capable of leading a contender and has the Warriors on track to pick up valuable playoff experience — and making this season mean something.
“Anytime you can play games that matter and seeing how we would do definitely would suffice,” Curry said. “Obviously, it’s been a rollercoaster year and injuries and all that but four games left in the regular season, see what the play-in situation is, try to get into that bracket of eight and take it from there.
“Those are the games that you want to play in, no matter how the season ends.”
