Getty Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after a dunk by Trayce Jackson-Davis #32 against the Atlanta Hawks.
Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry joined Kobe Bryant as the only 35-and-older player in NBA history who scored 60 points. But unlike Bryant, Curry’s crazy 60-point game ended in a disappointment.
The Atlanta Hawks uncorked an 11-0 run at the start of the overtime to frustrate Curry and the Warriors 141-134 on Saturday, February 3.
“That’s pretty cool, I didn’t know that [about making history]. That was [Kobe’s] last game, right? That’s special granted we lost,” Curry told reporters after the loss that ended their first two-game win streak since December.
Curry hit a go-ahead jumper with 14 seconds left in the regulation. Hawks guard Dejounte Murray quickly answered to tie the game with 5 seconds to go. Curry missed what could have been a game-winning floater at the buzzer.
“I wish that last one would have gone down,” Curry told reporters. “I had a good look at it but it’s frustrating, obviously, not coming away with the win knowing a couple of plays here, a couple of plays there, it’s a different outcome and we’re celebrating individual performance like that but just adds to the frustration of our season.”
In the extra time, Curry and the Warriors simply ran out of steam. The Warriors did not score until there was only 2:10 left in the extra time on a Curry layup. But it was too late.
The 35-year-old Curry made 22 of 38 shots, including 10 3s in a historic scoring effort that came 2 points shy of his career-high. He added 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the Warriors.
Double Whammy for Warriors
It was a double whammy for the Warriors as they lost Andrew Wiggins to a foot injury.
Wiggins had only 2 points on 1 of 6 shooting before exiting late in the 2nd quarter. He did not return in the 2nd half but coach Steve Kerr later told reporters that X-rays were negative.
It also did not help that Jonathan Kuminga fouled out with 1:06 left in the regulation and the Warriors were clinging to a 121-120 lead.
Kuminga left the game with 16 points on 6 of 12 shooting, snapping his 8-game streak of scoring 20 points or more.
Warriors Size up Nic Claxton Next
Despite the loss, the Warriors (21-25) are just 1 game outside the play-in picture. They will look to bounce back in Brooklyn on Monday, February 5, where they can size up Nets center Nic Claxton 3 days before the trade deadline.
Claxton has been one of the 3 big men on the Warriors’ radar.
On January 30, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater mentioned Claxton as a Warriors target in a potential trade that could involve Kevon Looney.
“The Warriors have explored the center market. Could Wendell Carter Jr. be obtained from the Orlando Magic? Atlanta’s Clint Capela is reportedly available. Is Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton worth the price it’d take to get him and whatever contract he’d command in free agency this summer?” Slater wrote.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, there are rumblings that Claxton is not untouchable.
“I’ve heard more than once this week not to discount the idea that Brooklyn big man Nic Claxton could be more available over the next seven days than previously advertised,” Stein wrote in his substack newsletter on February 1. “There are mixed signals in circulation about the Nets’ plans with Claxton as unrestricted free agency looms this summer.”