Warriors scoring record
San Francisco – Steph Curry erupted with 53 points to pass Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time Golden State scoring record on Monday as the Warriors downed the Denver Nuggets, 116-107.
Curry – who started the game needing only 19 points to overtake Chamberlain’s tally of 17,783 points set between 1959 and 1965 – broke the record in a hurry, rattling in 21 points in the first quarter.
The 33-year-old passed Chamberlain’s mark with a driving layup towards the end of the first quarter, raising his arms in jubilation to acknowledge the milestone.
Curry’s final points haul included 10 three-pointers with seven rebounds and four assists.
“This is special man,” Curry said afterwards. “Now we’ve got the win, I can process what just happened.
“These last 12 years, all the teammates I’ve played with, the coaching staff, the ownership, our fans – I’ve had some amazing experiences here.”
Meanwhile the joy of Curry’s night to remember was tempered by what looked like a serious knee injury to Denver’s Jamal Murray in the closing seconds of the game. Murray crumpled to the court in agony as he drove towards the basket, clutching his left knee in obvious pain before limping back to the locker room.
Curry, selected by the Warriors with the seventh overall pick in the draft in 2009, acknowledged that it had taken him longer to reach Chamberlain’s tally.
“With Wilt, any time you hear his name you just assume his record’s unreachable,” Curry said.
“I did play six extra years here I guess, but it still means something to be at the top of that list.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the team had sensed early on Curry was poised for a big night.
“Our team always feeds off Steph’s confidence,” Kerr said.
Curry’s performance was the 18th time in his career that he has shot 10 or more three-pointers in a regular season game.