Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler on Tuesday combined for 75 points as the Golden State Warriors squeezed into the NBA playoffs with a pulsating 121-116 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
In a thrilling play-in duel at San Francisco’s Chase Center, the Warriors hung on after a ferocious second-half fightback by Memphis, who trailed by as much as 20 points before rallying back to edge into the lead late in the game.
Just when Memphis threatened to pull off a famous victory, Curry stepped up with a huge 15-point fourth quarter to shepherd the Warriors to a win that sets up a first-round playoff series against second seeds the Houston Rockets.
Photo: AP
Curry finished with 37 points, including six three-pointers, while Butler led Golden State scoring with 38 points in another masterful performance from the former Miami Heat talisman.
Butler singled out teammate Curry for rescuing the Warriors with a heroic fourth-quarter display.
“I’m telling you, that’s a Batman if I’ve ever seen a Batman — always coming to save the day,” Butler said of Curry.
“You’re never out of any game [with Curry], he’s so poised, so calm and he was a huge part of getting us the victory,” he told TNT television. “And we’ve got a group of guys that have got a lot of fight, that never give up and we did what we were supposed to do finally.”
In a post-game news conference, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr rallied to the support of Harvard University, praising the college’s refusal to submit to government oversight demanded by US President Donald Trump.
Kerr, who has regularly criticized Trump and campaigned for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris before last year’s election, arrived for the post-game news conference wearing a Harvard T-shirt.
The 59-year-old revealed that he had been sent the shirt by Harvard basketball coach Tommy Amaker, who Kerr described as a friend.
“It felt like a great day to wear it,” Kerr said, applauding Harvard’s defiance of the Trump administration edict.
“I believe in academic freedom and I think it’s crucial for all of our institutions to be able to handle their own business the way they want to, and they should not be shaken down and told what to teach and what to say by our government,” he said. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, but it’s kind of par for the course right now. So yes, this is me supporting Harvard — way to go, way to stand up to the bully.”
In Tuesday’s other play-in game, Cole Anthony scored 26 points off the bench as the Orlando Magic booked their place in the first round of the playoffs with a 120-95 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Orlando’s superior production from the bench proved decisive as the Magic clinched the seventh seed.
Orlando are to play the second-seeded Boston Celtics in the opening round of the playoffs, with Game 1 of their best-of-seven series set for Sunday.
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