Stephen Curry scored 49 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a thrilling 109-108 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. This marked the Warriors' second win against the Spurs in three days, with Curry combining for 95 points over the two games. The performance helped tie a Michael Jordan record and surpass LeBron James in another milestone.
The Golden State Warriors (8-6) overcame the San Antonio Spurs 109-108 in San Antonio, securing their second victory over the team in a week. Stephen Curry, the 37-year-old Warriors star, erupted for 49 points on 16-for-26 shooting from the field and 9-for-17 from three-point range. This followed his 46-point outing in Wednesday's win, giving him 95 points across the back-to-back games.
Before the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr delivered a speech drawing from his Chicago Bulls days, comparing the team to a band where everyone plays their role. "He rarely talks about his Chicago days," Curry said. "And he gave some references to how they approached their team and their identity by comparisons to how a band comes together by playing your role."
Curry's performance tied Michael Jordan's record for the most regular-season 40-point games by a player aged 30 or older, reaching 44 such games. He also surpassed LeBron James for the most 40-point games by a player over 35, now with seven. Additionally, Curry became the second player after Jordan to record back-to-back 45-point games after turning 35.
Draymond Green provided key defense against Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, contributing to the narrow win. Kerr praised the matchup: "What a battle between a guy who’s been doing this for a long time and continues to amaze at 37 and a young guy over there. … That was an incredible basketball game."
Postgame, Curry emphasized team effort: "I love this game, I love my teammates… it’s only game, what, 14? We’re just trying to claw our way into some type of identity and momentum, but that was fun. … We all did it together."
Curry is averaging 29.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game this season, shooting 47.2% from the field and 39.1% from three in 30.8 minutes.