Stephen Curry Makes History in Win Over Nuggets

Stephen Curry had the hot hand early and the Warriors created enough cushion with a dominant third quarter to withstand a late Nuggets run in Monday’s 116-107 victory at Chase Center.

Entering the game trailing NBA icon Wilt Chamberlain by 18 points for the Warriors’ all-time scoring record, Curry came out firing. He made two 3-pointers in the game’s first 91 seconds, and with 1:41 left in the first quarter, he finished off a drive to the basket with a right-handed layup. That shot earned him his 17,783rd and 17,784th career points, moving him past Chamberlain for the franchise scoring record.

Curry added two more points during his 21-point first quarter, which included five made 3-pointers, and he was far from done. He’d finish the half with 30 points, marking his seventh straight game with at least 30 points, and he made four more treys in the third period and finished with 10 in the game, his NBA record 18th game with at least 10 made 3-pointers. Curry’s final line: 53 points, 14-for-24 FGs, 10-for-18 3FGs, 15-for-16 FTs.

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As brilliant as Curry was, he didn’t do it alone. Draymond Green hunted his own offense in addition to playmaking for others, and the end result was a wildly efficient season-high 18-point effort on 7-for-8 shooting, including 2-for-3 on 3-pointers. Green added seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals, but his biggest impact on the game may have come while guarding Denver’s MVP candidate Nikola Jokic.

The Nuggets’ All-Star center nearly posted a triple-double, scoring 27 points in his 37 minutes on the floor, but he was a minus-13 in his time on the floor, which would have been much worse had it not been for Denver’s late comeback bid that cut what was a Warriors 18-point advantage down to seven in the fourth quarter.

Despite big games from the Warriors’ veterans, the Nuggets held a 61-56 lead at halftime. However, the Warriors took control of the game early in the third quarter. Curry made two threes and Kent Bazemore added another during a 21-5 run that put the Dubs in front for good, and the Dubs added to that advantage with a separate 10-0 run to close the period.

The run started with a pair of free throws from Damion Lee after Denver’s JaMychal Green was called for a flagrant foul for throwing Lee to the floor on a rebound attempt with 1:36 left in the period. Curry would make his 10th 3-pointer, Lee added another splash and Juan Toscano-Anderson capped the run with a savvy steal that led to a slam.

Although the Warriors were held to just 17 points in the fourth quarter, they outscored Denver 43-22 in the third period, creating enough cushion to hang on to the victory.

With the win, the Warriors finished their homestand with a 3-1 mark. Now 26-28 on the season, the Warriors will open a five-game road trip on Wednesday in Oklahoma City.

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