There have been plenty of games in which Steph Curry’s basketball greatness has been evident. Sunday was another one.
Curry scored a playoff career-high 50 points in Golden State’s 120-100 Game 7 victory against the Sacramento Kings, securing a 4-3 best-of-seven NBA playoff series win for the Warriors.
He set the record for the most points in a Game 7 in NBA history, surpassing the 48 points scored by his former teammate Kevin Durant for the Brooklyn Nets against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
Curry also became the first player in Warriors history with 40-plus points in a Game 7, according to ESPN.
His explosion of points, which came off 20-of-38 shooting, including 7-18 from three-point range, once again demonstrated Curry’s legendary marksmanship.
And his performance had many of his peers on social media gushing with praise.
“Steph Curry you filthy animal lol… he just packed up a very good team … in a very tough building,” Portland Trail Blazers point guard and seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard said.
“Legendary 30. 50 pieces,” 13-time All-Star Durant wrote, while Trae Young called it an “unreal performance.”
Curry’s longtime teammate Klay Thompson, who has witnessed many of Curry’s masterful displays, told reporters: “There is a reason he is a two-time MVP, a Finals MVP, because he pushes us over the top in moments like this.”
He added: “When he’s in the zone like that, you try to just get him in his spots, get him the ball and get out of the way. This is a Game 7 I will forever remember as the Steph Curry game.”
The Warriors trailed the Kings by two points at halftime, with both Thompson and Jordan Poole struggling to score. Curry had scored 20 points, but his second-half burst helped propel Golden State to victory.
The Warriors outscored Sacramento by 22 in the second half – including a big third quarter – which, according to ESPN, was tied for the fifth-largest point differential in the second half of a Game 7 in NBA playoff history.
But it was Curry’s overall performance, through his combination of shooting, finishing variety and dynamism, which thrilled fans and amazed those on the court with him.
In a hostile environment and facing potential playoff elimination, he helped the Warriors secure a famous victory and advance to the Western Conference semifinals, where they will face the Los Angeles Lakers.
The blockbuster series with LeBron James’ Lakers begins on Tuesday.
“We’re defying the odds by still playing at this high of a level,” Curry said. “I know everybody wants to see you fail. That’s kind of the nature of where we’re at right now. We love when we still prove a lot of people wrong. It’s part of our vibe now.”