Stephen Curry added a line to his resume on Wednesday night. The Golden State Warriors guard scored 44 points in a 119-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, his 15th career 40-point game after turning 35. That ties LeBron James for the most in NBA history.
Curry Ties LeBron James
Curry is 38 and in his 18th season. Michael Jordan is next on the list with 12, followed by Kevin Durant with nine and James Harden with six. Four of the top five are still active.
Curry would need just one more such game to stand alone at the top. He has a sizable lead over Durant and Harden and has celebrated fewer birthdays than James, so he has a real shot at finishing as the all-time leader.
Curry Sparks Warriors With Second-Quarter Flurry
Curry got off to a slow start. He missed his first four three-pointers and scored only four points in the first quarter. Then the second quarter happened.
He missed his first three-point attempt of the period, then made four straight shots, three of them from deep. He scored 19 points in the quarter and had 23 by halftime, finishing with a season-high 44.
“The first three threes I shot, all of them felt good,” Curry said on “Warriors Postgame Live,” per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “I got my feet underneath me, and all you need to do is see one go in. Shooters know that. I kept finding good looks… You got to have a short memory as a shooter, and thankfully got it going.”
Perfect at the Free-Throw Line
The Warriors are also 5-0 all time when Curry shoots at least 16 free throws.
Curry called the record “a blessing.” “I got reminded today how fortunate I am to still be playing this game at the level that I expect, and when you have nights like these where the body’s feeling good, the ball starts to go in, all the joy comes back and all the work that you put in,” he said.
Golden State Warriors Hold On
The Warriors led for the final 38 minutes and carried a lead of as many as 24 points, but they nearly gave it back late. Minnesota cut the lead to four before the Warriors closed it out, with turnovers and missed free throws making the final minutes tense.
Yaxel Lendeborg added 26 points, though he committed seven turnovers. Jonathan Kuminga, a former Warrior, led Minnesota with 20 points.
Golden State played without Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody, Gui Santos and Kristaps Porzingis. The Timberwolves were without Anthony Edwards, who had knee surgery and is expected to be out until at least December.
It was the Warriors’ second straight win.
Warriors’ Stephen Curry Does Something Only LeBron James Has Done