Stephen Curry became the all-time leading scorer in Golden State Warriors history with the ninth 50-point game of his career, exploding for 53 in a 116-107 victory over the visiting Denver Nuggets on Monday night.
The Nuggets might have lost more than just a second straight game, as standout guard Jamal Murray went down with an apparent left-knee injury with 50.6 remaining in the game.
Murray, who had missed the previous four games with a sore right knee, was escorted straight to the locker room after the fall, which came at the end of a 17-point night.
Curry began the game with 17,765 points in his Warriors career, needing 18 to equal Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time franchise record.
It took him just 10 minutes and 20 seconds to catch and pass Chamberlain, with five 3-pointers and two free throws setting the stage for a driving layup over former teammate JaVale McGee for his 18th and 19th points of the night.
Despite Curry’s early brilliance, the Warriors trailed for most of the first 2 1/2 periods before taking charge with a 43-point, third-quarter eruption that opened a double-digit lead.
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Down 18 with 7:58 to go, the Nuggets got as close as 111-104 with 1:16 left, but Murray’s injury then occurred on a drive to the hoop, killing Denver’s final hope.
Curry’s 53 points were his third-most this season, trailing only a career-best 62 against Portland in January and 57 at Dallas in February.
He shot 14-for-24 overall and 10-for-18 on 3-pointers, the second time this season he’s bombed in 10 or more treys.
Draymond Green had 18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals for the Warriors, who completed a 3-1 homestand in their last four games to be played without fans at San Francisco’s Chase Center.
Golden State will welcome fans for the first time in the two-year existence of their new home when they host Denver again on April 23 in the Warriors’ next home game.
Andrew Wiggins added 17 points and Kent Bazemore 14 for the Warriors, who played without regular starters Kelly Oubre Jr. and James Wiseman, who suffered a potential season-ending torn meniscus in his right knee in Golden State’s home win over Houston on Saturday.
Nikola Jokic finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Nuggets, who were beaten 105-87 at home by the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
Michael Porter Jr. had 24 points and Monte Morris 10 for Denver, which had beaten the Warriors 114-104 at home in January.
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–Field Level Media