Monday made for an unbelievable night, even by Steph Curry’s standards.
The two-time NBA MVP and reigning Finals MVP dropped 47 points during a come-from-behind win over the Sacramento Kings in San Francisco, adding eight rebounds, eight assists and zero turnovers. In helping the Warriors end their five-game skid with the 116-113 win, he became the first player since at least 1977-78 to have 47-8-8 in a game without a turnover.
The performance wowed everyone.
“Steph was just breathtaking,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s obviously one of the greatest players of all time. He plays so well on so many nights, but this even seemed like something special for him … He just put us on his back.”
Curry’s historic performance came on 17 of 24 shooting, including 7-for-12 from 3-point range, which was good for a whopping .868 True Shooting percentage. In the fourth quarter alone, Curry had 17 points on 6-for-8 from the field and 2-for-3 from deep.
For those who got to watch up-close, it ranked among the best games in a career full of amazing performances for Curry.
“It was very [2022] Game 4 of the NBA Finals to me. He just wasn’t going to allow us to lose,” Draymond Green said. “Take that with a grain of salt because I’m not saying this game was as important. But you know when to get out of the way. It was one of those times where he was taking over.”
The Warriors have limped out to a 4-7 record to start the season, though Curry is playing at an MVP level. The future Hall of Famer is averaging 32.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game on 51.2/43.1/93.1 percent shooting.
His big games may continue to be a necessity for a team transitioning to younger players and struggling with defense and bench scoring. It’s something Curry is acutely aware of.
“We have to understand that [the young players] are all going to get an opportunity to perform, and there are going to be some struggles — some real high highs, and some real low lows,” Curry said. “That’s the story of this team. As vets, you understand every year is a little different and you are ready for that challenge. For these young guys to try to find themselves in this league and also a specific role, it’s challenging.”