San Francisco – It was a must win game for both teams, but only one has Stephen Curry on their roster. Curry scored a playoff-career high 50 points which is the most in a Game 7 in NBA history. The Sacramento Kings saw their season come to an end when the Warriors closed out the series with a 120-100 victory.
Curry recorded his eighth-career 40-point playoff game with 45 points, matching Rick Barry for second-most 40-point playoff games in franchise history (trailing only Wilt Chamberlin’s 10). Curry also had a career high 38 shot attempts, he went 20-for-38 shooting and 7-for-18 from the arc.
“For Steph to be the first player to ever get 50 in a Game 7? He’s sublime, said Steve Kerr.
The Kings had a great start in the first half but Golden State stayed close behind. Curry took flight in the third period behind an explosive game from Kevon Looney. Looney grabbed 21 rebounds and scored 11 points. His defense was needed in closing out Game 7. Looney joins Chamberlin and Nate Thurmond as the only players in Warriors history to record multiple 20-rebound games in the same playoff series.
“I just wanted us get us extra possessions and set the tone with rebounding and physicality,” Looney said.
The extra possessions is what caused Golden State’s loss in Game 6. Sacramento got their second chance points by grabbing their own offensive rebounds. Today, the Warriors did the same thing. Curry had plenty of space to score 22 points in the paint, another career high. By the 4th quarter Golden State had a 10 point lead which grew as the clock ran out. The Kings went cold on shots from the arc and no longer had the energy to keep up with Curry.
“To do this for a decade, it’s incredible,” said Kerr. “The energy that it takes to fight off challenges year after year and to prepare and win big games. There’s a reason these guys are Hall of Famers and champions.”
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