Stephen Curry keeps finding new ways to come up with game-winning daggers, nailing a three pointer in the dying seconds to lift Golden State to a 121-118 overtime win over Oklahoma City.
Curry not only hit a 32-foot three pointer with six tenths of a second left on Saturday night but also tied an NBA single game record shared by Donyell Marshall and Kobe Bryant with 12 three pointers.
“I got a good rhythm dribbling up and found a good spot to take off from,” Curry said. “I had confidence all night. Thankfully that last one went in when we had a chance to win the game.”
The records just keep coming as Curry’s 12th three pushed his total to 288, breaking his own single-season record of 286 with 24 games to play.
“It was incredible what Steph did. What is the expression? From the ridiculous to the sublime. That is where we are at this point,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Curry finished 12-of-16 from three-point range as the Warriors secured a playoff spot for the fourth straight season.
Curry, who tweaked an ankle in the third quarter, tallied 46 points and guard Klay Thompson added 32 for the Warriors who improved to 53-5.
Curry went to the dressing room, got his ankle re-taped and returned.
“It is hard to put into words what Steph did,” said teammate Thompson. “He not only tied his own record but broke an NBA record. That is the most amazing thing I have probably ever seen.”
Forward Kevin Durant had 37 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Thunder. Guard Russell Westbrook tallied 30 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds.
The Thunder scored five quick points to start overtime, but four straight points from Curry got the Warriors to within one.
Both teams kept finding ways to answer. Westbrook set up Andre Roberson for a layup. Then Golden State’s Thompson drove hard and scored on a three-point play to tie the score 118-118 with 29 seconds left.
Westbrook missed a jump shot, setting the stage for Curry to hit another heroic winner.
– Celtics topple Heat –
The Boston Celtics may have lost out on the Joe Johnson sweepstakes, but they showed Saturday they can beat the team that snatched him.
On the day the Miami Heat acquired the seven-time all-star Johnson, Celtics guard Marcus Smart scored eight points in the final 10 minutes as the Celtics defeated Miami 101-89 at the Boston Garden arena.
“He played with unbelievable energy,” forward Jae Crowder said of Smart who was one of a half dozen Celtics who finished in double figure scoring.
Smart finished with 15 points for Boston (35-25), which picked up its 10th straight victory at home.
Johnson was waived by the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday and cleared waivers during Saturday’s game. Dwyane Wade welcomed the addition of a versatile scorer.
“To put somebody on the floor that can shoot the ball, can score different areas of the floor, make plays — it just adds to what we’re trying to do,” Wade said.
Johnson rebuffed reported interest from the Celtics, the club that drafted him with the number 10 overall pick in 2001.
– Paul powers Clippers –
Chris Paul played through the pain of a variety of minor injuries as he scored a season-high 40 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 117-107 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Paul added 13 assists and eight rebounds for the Clippers who scored 20 consecutive points in the third quarter. Los Angeles led by double digits for all of the final quarter.
Paul injured his forearm on Wednesday against Denver and missed practice Friday to get treatment on his right arm. He is also dealing with a bruise on his left thigh and an injured left calf. – Agence France-Presse
