Rob Issa, FISM News
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Stephen Curry was at his best with the defending NBA champions facing elimination.
Curry scored a career-playoff-high 50 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 120-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings in Game 7 of their first-round, Western Conference playoff series.
Curry’s big game set an NBA record for points in a Game 7.
“What an incredible performance,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. “This is a Game 7 I’ll forever remember as the Steph Curry game.”
Curry made 20 of 38 shots, including 7 of 18 from 3-point range in the latest display of heroics for the two-time NBA MVP and four-time champion.
“It’s amazing ‘cuz you’re still in the fight,” Curry said. “Better than the alternative of on the outside looking in. Having been down 0-2 in this series, nothing was guaranteed, you don’t take anything for granted.”
The sixth-seed Warriors advanced to face LeBron James and the seventh-seed Los Angeles Lakers. Game 1 is Tuesday night.
“For Steph to be the first player ever to get 50 in a Game 7, he’s sublime,” coach Steve Kerr said.
Andrew Wiggins had 17 points, Thompson scored 16, and Kevin Looney grabbed 21 rebounds for Golden State.
The Kings hadn’t reached the playoffs in 16 seasons before a magical run to the West’s No. 2 seed. Now, NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown and the rest of the team are left wondering how they failed to advance after winning the first two games of the series.
Domantas Sabonis had 22 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists but De’Aaron Fox shot just 5-for-19 and finished with 16 for Sacramento.
“I can’t dream of nothing like this, gotta see it in person,” Kings guard Malik Monk said of the team’s season. “You can’t dream anything like this unless you’re doing it. Looking forward to being back next year.”
HEAT TAKE 1-0 LEAD OVER KNICKS
In New York, Jimmy Butler and the eighth-seed Miami Heat jumped out to a 1-0 series lead over the New York Knicks with a 108-101 victory in the opener of their second-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
Butler had 25 points and 11 rebounds but injured his ankle late in the game and was limited in the final minutes. He limped off the court after the game and it’s uncertain whether he’ll play Game 2.
“We’re just playing great basketball,” Butler said. “We’re together, at home, on the road, through the good and through the bad. We believe that we can do something special.”
The Heat knocked off the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, becoming just the sixth No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1.
Gabe Vincent scored 20 points, Kyle Lowry had 18, and Bam Adebayo added 16 points and eight boards for Miami.
“It’s the playoffs, number one. You expect it to be tough,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Two, just because the regular season didn’t go the way we wanted it to go or other people wanted it to go, doesn’t mean we weren’t developing grit and tough habits and good things. It wasn’t just from the play-in.”
RJ Barrett scored 26 points and Jalen Brunson had 25 for the Knicks, who were missing All-Star forward Julius Randle.
“Any time you’re down, especially an All-Star like him, you’re going to miss him and we did tonight,” Barrett said.
The Knicks shot just 7 for 34 behind 3-point range, including Brunson’s 0 for 7.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden.
The Heat won’t know if they’ll have Butler, who averaged 37.6 per game in the first round against the Bucks.
“You just don’t know with ankle sprains,” Spoelstra said. We’ll just have to see. It’ll be a waiting game,” he said.