Curry led the Warriors to a series-clinching victory on the Kings' floor two days after the Kings gave the game to the Warriors at Chase Centre to force a Game 7 and set an NBA record.
After a play halt in the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry yelled, “Light the beam!” with his clear mouthguard protruding from the corner of his lips. Curry led the Warriors to a series-clinching victory on the Kings’ floor two days after the Kings gave the game to the Warriors at Chase Centre to force a Game 7 and set an NBA record. Curry led the Warriors to a 120-100 victory by pouring in 50 points, which is the most ever in a Game 7 in NBA history. He also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists. The victory prepared the team for a series against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Kings were aiming to win their first playoff series since 2004 after outplaying the Warriors for most of the first half and going into the break with a two-point lead.
Curry and his team, however, had other ideas. Before finally securing the victory in the fourth, the Warriors put together an impressive third-quarter run. At one point in the fourth, Andre Iguodala made a shot-clock-beating three in front of the Warriors’ bench to give his team a 22-point lead. Curry turned around and gave him a high-five. In the first half, the Warriors appeared to be in constant cruise control. Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson had trouble getting going, so Curry carried the team with his 20 points.
But it was obvious that if the Warriors wanted to win, he would require assistance in the final 24 minutes. Curry and Kevon Looney were instrumental in the Warriors’ third-quarter run, which saw them go on a tear. Sacramento lost to them in rebounding 23-9, including 13-3 on the offensive glass. To reach a third-quarter surge of 34-23, they added 10 more shots and made three more treys.
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Looney finished the game with 21 total rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass, becoming just the ninth player in NBA history to grab double-digit offensive rebounds in a Game 7. Looney grabbed seven offensive boards in just the third quarter alone. This was his fourth double-double in a playoff game in his career. He also had 11 points. Unfazed by his poor shooting performance in the first half—he went 1 for 10 from the field—Thompson made goggles out of his hands as he sat on the floor following a Kings player to knock him over to celebrate a made 3-pointer at the end of the third.
The Warriors had a 10-point advantage going into the fourth quarter after Thompson converted it into a four-point play and made his lone free throw. At Sacramento, the cowbells stopped jingling in the middle of the fourth. Curry set a playoff career-high with 50 points. He made the most 3-pointers in a Game 7 in league history with seven made baskets. The Warriors will play the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. Given that Game 1 is scheduled for Tuesday night in San Francisco, Golden State won’t have much time to savour its valiant victory.
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