The Warriors closed out the regular season in typical record shattering fashion, earning their 73rd win of the season with a 125-104 victory over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies.
The Warriors closed out the regular season in typical record shattering fashion, earning their 73rd win of the season with a 125-104 victory over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. Stephen Curry was sensational, scoring a game-high 46 points with 10 three-pointers, pushing his season total and extending his own NBA record to 402 treys. Draymond Green filled the stat sheet, registering 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes also scored in double-figures. With the victory, the Warriors finish the season 73-9, breaking the NBA record for most wins in a single season previously held by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.
GAME LEADERS
After setting countless records along the way, it would have been difficult to find a more fitting ending to the Warriors’ historic regular season. Stephen Curry came into the game needing eight three-pointers to reach 400 for the season, and he seemed intent on reaching that mind-blowing mark with after a scorching start to the contest. Curry missed his first three-point attempt of the night, but converted his next on the ensuing Warriors’ possession to put the Dubs out in front 6-4 with 9:13 remaining in the opening quarter. By the time he missed his next three-point attempt, he had put the Warriors in front for good. The reigning MVP made each of his next four attempts from long range, the final three of which came within a span of 57 seconds to give Golden State a 27-16 lead with 3:47 left in the frame. He’d add one more trey for a total of 20 points in the quarter before Festus Ezeli tipped in a miss to send the game into the second quarter with the Warriors leading 37-23.
Memphis went on a 7-2 burst to pull within 50-37 halfway through the second quarter, but then it was the other Splash Brother’s turn to shine. Klay Thompson sank his first three-pointer of the night for the next score in the game, beginning a streak in which he’d convert all four of his long distance attempts through the remainder of the half, the final one of which put Golden State up 67-46 with 1:42 left. The Grizzlies would trim away at the deficit slightly, but Curry’s layup with 40.3 seconds left closed out the scoring in the half and sent the game into halftime with the Dubs holding a commanding 70-50 advantage.
Needing one more three-pointer to reach 400 on the season, Curry got things taken care of quickly in the second half. After Vince Carter opened the third quarter with a trey of his own, Curry launched a three from the right corner on the ensuing possession, sending the sellout crowd to their feet as it found the bottom of the net. That turned out to be just the beginning of yet another Curry flurry, as that three-pointer began a stretch in which he’d score the first 10 points for Golden State in the quarter. Memphis would respond with a 10-2 run to pull within 82-68 halfway through the third frame. JaMychal Green’s layup with 3:23 left kept the margin at a 14-point deficit, until Curry provided one last dazzling display for the regular season. He’d score seven more points through the remainder of the quarter, the final three of which came by way of his 402nd three-pointer of the season with 5.1 seconds left to give the Dubs a 102-81 lead heading into the fourth and final quarter.
Both Curry and Draymond Green would sit out the entire fourth frame, as the Warriors’ reserves took the court with the victory already well in hand. Harrison Barnes would score ten of Golden State’s first 14 points in the frame, giving them a 116-98 advantage with 5:37 left in the game. Marreese Speights would then score each of the Dubs’ next three baskets before Brandon Rush’s three-pointer with 1:42 remaining gave the Warriors their largest lead of the entire game at 125-102. Bryce Cotton would close out the scoring with a jumper, but it was far too little, far too late, as the Warriors coasted to their record-setting victory. With the win, Golden State finishes the regular season with a record of 73-9, breaking the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls record for the most single-season wins in NBA history. Golden State now advances to the Western Conference playoffs where they’ll play the eighth-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals series. The series will tipoff with Game 1 at Oracle Arena on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.