NBA stars have been on a historic scoring binge as of late. Did you really think Stephen Curry wasn’t going to get in on the action?
Curry was masterful in the Warriors’ matchup against the Hawks, even in a losing effort in overtime. He exploded for 60 points while shooting 22-for-38 from the field and 10-for-23 from 3-point range.
Curry single-handedly kept Golden State alive in the contest, pouring in 22 points in the fourth quarter alone. He scored the Warriors’ final 13 points in the last four minutes of a one-possession battle, but couldn’t get a potential game-winning floater to fall as the contest went into OT.
Led by Dejounte Murray’s timely shotmaking and Trae Young’s 35 points, Atlanta routed Golden State in the extra period to come away with a 141-134 victory. But not before Curry flirted with his career-high of 62 points.
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Stephen Curry flirts with career-high as NBA’s scoring binge continues
With 60 points in an overtime loss to the Hawks on Saturday, Curry is the fifth player to crack that threshold in the last two weeks, joining Luka Doncic (73 points), Joel Embiid (70), Devin Booker (62) and Karl-Anthony Towns (62).
When you add in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 64-point game back in December, we’re up to six 60-point games in the 2023-24 NBA season.
Shockingly, Curry is the third player in the last two weeks who has scored 60-plus points and lost. Both Towns and Booker’s 60-point outings also resulted in losses.
For comparison, there were only three such instances in 30 years from 1980-2010, as The Ringer’s Zach Kram pointed out.
Number of NBA players who scored 60+ points in a game and lost:
1980s: 2
1990s: 1
2000s: 0
2010s: 3
Last 13 days: 3
— Zach Kram (@zachkram) February 4, 2024
Curry was surgical in the fourth quarter, piercing the Hawks’ defense without even breaking a sweat. He shot 9-for-11 from the field and 4-for-6 from 3 in the final frame, outscoring Atlanta in the final four minutes by himself.
His game-winning floater attempt was a great look — one he has hit many, many times before — and one he’ll certainly want back after a losing effort.
Even with a disappointing outcome, Curry still buried 10 3-pointers, extending one of his seemingly untouchable long-range shooting records.
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Stephen Curry extends NBA record for most games with at least 10 3-pointers made
Everyone knows Curry broke the record for the most 3-pointers in NBA history. He’s at 3,599 and counting, re-writing history every time he sees a triple go through the hoop.
But perhaps even more baffling is his record for the most games in NBA history with at least 10 3-pointers made.
Knocking down 10 3-pointers against the Hawks, Curry has now reached that benchmark in 24 games.
The next closest player in NBA history is his teammate, Klay Thompson, who only has nine such games. Damian Lillard has done it five times. Zach LaVine, James Harden and JR Smith have all done it three times.
Aside from that group, no other player in NBA history has ever even done it twice.
Rank Player Games with 10+ 3s 1 Stephen Curry 24 2 Klay Thompson 9 3 Damian Lillard 5 T-4 Zach LaVine 3 James Harden 3 JR Smith 3 50 players tied 1
Just another unbreakable record for the greatest shooter in NBA history.
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