Stephen Curry drops 50 to steer Warriors by Kings in Recreation 7 and into collection with Lakers
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Stephen Curry scored a playoff career-high 50 factors and answered repeatedly to will the defending champions on of their quest for a repeat, Kevon Looney grabbed 21 rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors superior to the Western Convention semifinals by beating the Sacramento Kings 120-100 in Sunday’s winner-take-all Recreation 7.
Curry’s factors are probably the most in NBA historical past in a Recreation 7, topping former teammate Kevin Durant’s 48 for the Nets towards Milwaukee in 2021.
The Warriors fell behind 2-0 on this collection, then gained twice on the highway in entrance of a hostile, cowbell-clanging crowd within the state capital to turn out to be the primary reigning champion to drop the primary two video games and win any postseason collection.
Now, carry on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers within the Western Convention semifinals with all that NBA Finals historical past, with James and Golden State relationship to his Cleveland days. Recreation 1 is Tuesday night time at Chase Middle.
Sacramento’s particular comeback season is over lengthy earlier than these younger Kings had deliberate. After snapping a 16-year playoff drought — longest in NBA historical past — beneath Coach of the Yr Mike Brown, playoff-starved Sacramento earned a No. 3 seed however missed advancing to the second spherical for the primary time since 2004. No extra Mild the Beam at Golden 1 Middle this season.
Curry shot 20 of 38 with seven 3s and delivered after nearly each huge play by Sacramento as Splash Brother Klay Thompson struggled on each ends once more. However Thompson got here by in some essential moments, too.
Malik Monk’s putback and three-point play with 14.6 seconds remaining within the third pulled Sacramento inside six just for Thompson to hit a protracted 3 and convert a four-point play to make it 91-81 heading into the ultimate 12 minutes.
Domantas Sabonis had 22 factors, eight rebounds and 7 assists however the Warriors held De’Aaron Fox in test as he scored 16 factors on 5-for-19 taking pictures in his third sport enjoying with a damaged index finger on his taking pictures hand.
Trailing 58-56 at halftime, the Warriors opened the second half with a 13-4 burst to take a 69-62 lead and power a Kings timeout on the 7:50 mark.
Sacramento scored early on with an exquisite mixture of traditional give-and-goes and lengthy jumpers off crisp passing across the perimeter.
However Curry stored coming, and Looney stored scrapping to create second and third alternatives throughout his sensible collection on the boards.
Curry fired from approach again with precision and fearlessly drove to the basket with jaw-dropping acrobatics all afternoon to ship Kings followers to the exits late within the fourth.
Thompson started 1 for 10, lacking his first 5 3s earlier than connecting on the 9:18 mark of the third. Golden State, enjoying simply its fourth Recreation 7 beneath Steve Kerr because the 2014-15 title run, was sensible down the stretch after 18 turnovers in Recreation 6 led to 23 Kings factors and Kerr calling his staff “wildly undisciplined.”
Kerr had little doubt earlier than the deciding sport — and he went again to Draymond Inexperienced within the beginning lineup for Recreation 7 with the season on the road after the fiery ahead got here off the bench the earlier two contests following a Recreation 3 suspension for stepping on Domantas Sabonis.
“These guys are champions, defending champions from a yr in the past, 4 within the final eight years, these guys know the deal,” Kerr mentioned. “There’s a way of confidence and a way that we’re going to go get it accomplished.”
Simply earlier than the ultimate buzzer, Kerr supplied a protracted embrace to Brown — Golden State’s former high assistant who as soon as coached the Warriors throughout Kerr’s well being absence and simply guided the Kings’ outstanding turnaround.