Los Angeles: Two-time MVP Stephen Curry got his swagger back on Sunday night, scoring a career-high 62 points as the Golden State Warriors outgunned the Portland Trail Blazers 137-122.
It was just like old times for Curry, arguably the greatest shooter in the history of the NBA.
Curry, who played just five games in the coronavirus-shortened 2019-20 season due to a broken hand, drained eight of 16 from beyond the arc to score the most points by a Warrior since Rick Barry scored 64 in the 1970s.
The Warriors went wire-to-wire for the win at the Chase Center in San Francisco and Curry got into the zone early, delivering 21 points in the first quarter and capping his night with 17 points and several late threes in the fourth.
Curry topped his previous high of 54 with two free throws with 2:23 to play and capped his night with a nothing-but-net three-pointer with 42 seconds remaining. It was his seventh career 50-point game.
“I just try to stay humble and stay in the moment. As long as I keep being aggressive and decisive then good things will happen,” he said.
“I want to make the right decisions. A lot of it is just not rushing things. I got to make sure I see everything right.”
The 50-point night was the NBA’s first of the season, while the 60-pointer was the first for a Warrior since Klay Thompson had 60 in 2016.
The only blemish for Curry was that his streak of free throws was snapped at a franchise-record 80 in the first quarter. The run dated to March 2019.
Elsewhere, Thomas Bryant stuffed the go-ahead dunk with 14.9 seconds left and the Washington Wizards held on for a 123-122 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 27 points and 10 rebounds and assisted on Bryant’s decisive basket, which stood up as Nets stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant both missed on the final possession of the contest. — AFP
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