Sunday’s NBA slate had a record-setting night in San Francisco courtesy of one Steph Curry, a milestone game south of the US border, and a heavyweight rematch in the East. Here is what mattered.
Steph Curry Overtakes LeBron
Stephen Curry is 38 years old, and the record books keep getting rewritten around him. He scored a season-high 41 points on 13-of-19 shooting, including 5-for-10 from three and a perfect 10-for-10 at the line, with 6 rebounds and 6 assists, to lead the Golden State Warriors past the Orlando Magic, 126-119, in overtime.
It was the Warriors’ seventh straight win after an 0-3 start. Curry made the big plays late, scoring key points in regulation and overtime, including a three-point play and a driving layup that sealed it. Franz Wagner had 30 points and 11 assists for the Magic.
The history is the headline. It was Curry’s 16th 40-point game since turning 35, the most in NBA history, passing LeBron James. Michael Jordan had 12. Curry also became just the seventh player ever with 26,000 career points, 5,000 rebounds, and 6,000 assists.
Nikola Kokic Powers Nuggets in Mexico City
Nikola Jokic did what he does, quietly. He scored 10 of his 19 points in the first quarter and added 13 rebounds, and 8 assists as the Denver Nuggets beat the Indiana Pacers, 114-102, in Mexico City. Cameron Johnson added 18 points, Jamal Murray had 16, and Denver has won four of its last five.
“I just try to play the game the right way,” Jokic said. “To win is the most important thing, I do not think about stats.”
The Nuggets broke it open in the second quarter, turning a four-minute Indiana scoring drought into a 15-0 run, and Murray’s jumper made it 64-37, their biggest lead of the night. Aaron Nesmith’s back-to-back threes cut it to 79-67 in the third, and Jarace Walker’s three made it 102-95 with 7:26 left. But Denver answered with six straight points.
Pascal Siakam scored 23 for Indiana and Larry Nance Jr. had 15 off the bench. The Pacers, who have lost five of their last six, played without Tyrese Haliburton, who missed the trip with a hamstring strain. “It was tough environment, we are not used to this, the altitude and everything is hard to get going,” Siakam said.
The game was the NBA’s 35th in Mexico since exhibitions began there in 1992. No country outside the United States and Canada has hosted more, and of the 34 earlier games, 15 were regular-season contests. The last 12, including this one, sold out. “The NBA is global and it belongs here too,” said Nuggets coach David Adelman.
Knicks Beat Cavs in Conference Finals Rematch
The defending champions were not sentimental. Jalen Brunson scored 31 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 29, and the New York Knicks held off the Cleveland Cavaliers, 109-97, in the first meeting between the teams since last season’s Eastern Conference finals, which the Knicks swept.
Brunson took over in the second quarter. With Cleveland up, 39-37, he hit a three, then scored 18 straight in 4:24 to put the Knicks ahead, 52-45. On the next possession, he had his shot blocked, grabbed the loose ball, and fed Landry Shamet for a three. Brunson also finished with nine assists and drained a crucial jumper in the final three minutes after Cleveland rallied.
Donovan Mitchell had a season-high 37 points, including 21 in the fourth quarter, and the Cavs had beaten Philadelphia for its first road loss on Friday. Cleveland was without Jarrett Allen (knee), Jaylon Tyson (ankle), and Sam Merrill (elbow), while the Knicks’ Josh Hart missed his second straight game with an ankle injury that coach Mike Brown called “nothing major.”
The rematch carried some history. Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson had been criticized last season for saying his team was “analytically” winning the series. Six months later, he clarified that he wasn’t implying the Knicks weren’t better. “They dominated it,” he said.
