Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry set an NBA record with his first three-pointer of the night against the Magic in Orlando on Thursday - and he was just getting warmed up.
Curry's three-pointer with 5:42 remaining in the first quarter marked his 128th straight regular-season game with at least one basket from beyond the arc, breaking the record he shared with Kyle Korver.
“This was Steph's night," Magic coach Scott Skiles said. "He tricked us so many times. He runs. He stops. He relaxes, causes you to relax, and then he's gone. That happened at least a dozen times.”
That energy was key for the Warriors, coach Steve Kerr said, a night after their hard-fought victory in Miami. "Our guys were tired," Kerr said. "There was no enthusiasm. He just lit a fire under us tonight."
Curry finished with 10 three-pointers in the Warriors' 130-114 triumph over the Magic and notched his third game this season of at least 50 points. In 34 minutes on court he also handed out eight assists and pulled down seven rebounds.
He now has 276 three-pointers this season - 10 less than the record he set last season in leading the Warriors to the NBA crown.
Curry scored 24 points in the third quarter, including a three-pointer from half-court as the buzzer sounded that lifted the Warriors to a 99-91 lead going into the final frame.
The Warriors, chasing the NBA record of 72 regular-season wins set by the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls of 1995-96, improved to 52-5.
Forward Draymond Green and center Andrew Bogut scored 12 points apiece for the Warriors. Forward Harrison Barnes added 10. Reserve center Marreese Speights scored 14 points, including eight in the fourth period.
The Magic were led by guard Evan Fournier with 20 points. Forward Aaron Gordon had a career-high 19 points and eight rebounds.
Center Nikola Vucevic had 17 points and nine rebounds for Orlando, who led 63-59 at halftime, but were helpless as the Warriors pulled away in the fourth.
Harden boosts Rockets
James Harden scored 34 of his 46 points in the second half as the Houston Rockets rallied from a 21-point third quarter deficit to beat the Trail Blazers 119-105 in Portland.
Center Dwight Howard scored 19 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for the Rockets, who won for just the fourth time in 11 games and snapped Portland's six-game winning streak.
The Rockets out-scored the Trail Blazers 33-12 in the fourth quarter to turn things around.
"That first half we were just passive," Harden said. "I just wanted to be aggressive and go out fighting."
Leonard stars in Spurs win
Elsewhere in the West, the San Antonio Spurs strengthened their grip on the second seed with a 96-78 victory over the Utah Jazz - who are in the hunt for the final playoff spot in the conference.
Kahwi Leonard led the Spurs with 29 points, helping San Antonio fight back from a 23-18 deficit at the end of the first quarter.
The Spurs looked tired early on the second night of back-to-back games, but had gained a 39-35 advantage at halftime and led 56-49 going into the final period.
Comments
SHARE