Stephen Curry on Monday scored 53 points to pass Wilt Chamberlain for the most in Golden State Warriors franchise history as they beat the Denver Nuggets 116-107.
Draymond Green had 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Andrew Wiggins scored 17 points and Kent Bazemore added 14 for the Warriors.
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and nine rebounds.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Jamal Murray scored 17 points before injuring his left knee in the final minute of the game. He was helped off the court and did not return. Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Murray would get an MRI to determine the severity of the injury.
“Some of the coaches said when they watched the replay, it looked like he hyperextended it,” Malone said. “It’s just an awful feeling. Keep Jamal in your thoughts and prayers and hopefully, we’ll get some good news.”
Curry scored 21 points in the first quarter, giving him 17,786 in his career. That passed Chamberlain’s 17,783 with the franchise, a record he had held since 1964.
“To be anywhere near him in any record book or now be on top, it’s surreal and it’s wild,” Curry said. “If you grow up in the game of basketball and you hear his name, you know it’s something extremely special, no matter what it is.”
Curry shot 14 of 24 from the field, making 10 of 18 three-pointers. The two-time league Most Valuable Player added six rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes. It marked his seventh straight game scoring at least 30 points, the longest streak by a Warrior since Rick Barry during the 1966 to 1967 season.
Curry’s 10 three-pointers marked his 18th career game making at least 10 — 13 more than any other player in NBA history. He notched his ninth career 50-point game.
“You can feel it when he’s really got it going on and we could feel it pretty early tonight,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It was kind of surprising to see him break that record in the first quarter. We all figured he’d find a way to get 19 points tonight, but maybe not in the first quarter.”
Denver took a 61-56 lead into halftime, but Golden State took over in the third quarter, outscoring the Nuggets 43-22 for a 99-83 lead. Denver outscored Golden State 54-36 in the paint, but the Warriors made 18 three-pointers to the Nuggets’ eight.
“That was a big game for us,” Kerr said. “We have a chance to get on a little run. It was important for us to get a win, especially against a really good team.”
Denver has now lost two in a row, following an eight-game winning streak.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care