Until 15 days ago, in the entire history of the NBA there had been 20 games in which a player scored 60 points and his team lost. Performances, as beastly as they are, have become frustrating in recent times. In just two weeks it has happened three times: Devin Booker (Suns) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Timbewolves) scored 62 points and this time it was Stephen Curry who reached 60 without being able to give the Warriors the win.
Curry could not miss the offensive ‘curse’ that the NBA has been experiencing since mid-January. It is also the fifth time in those two weeks that a player has reached 60. Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid went even further. The former scored 73 and the latter had 70. They did lead the Mavericks and Sixers, respectively, to victory.
“It sucks not having something to show for it,” Curry lamented after his team’s 141-134 overtime loss to the Hawks. “Obviously, it’s frustrating not to come out with the win knowing that a couple of plays here and a couple of plays there could have had a different outcome. It just adds to our frustrating season,” the point guard said of a season in which the Warriors have had everything going their way.
Curry scored a season-high 22/38 from the field, 10/23 from three-point range and 6/6 from the free throw line, the second-highest of his career, second only to the 62 points he scored against the Blazers in January 2021. With his barren milestone, the Warriors star becomes only the second player in NBA history to score 60 points in a game after turning 35. The oldest was Kobe Bryant, who did it on his retirement day at 37 and 234 days. “He seems to keep getting better, which is special at his age,” Draymond Green said of his teammate’s performance. “It was unbelievable,” coach Steve Kerr said despite the loss.
Curry scored 22 points on 4/6 three-pointers in the final quarter, including a layup that put the Warriors ahead with 14 seconds to play. Dejounte Murray answered to tie it and the Warriors point guard missed a last-second shot to give his team the win. In overtime he rounded out a great performance with eight points, but without the prize of the win.
For the Hawks, Curry fan Trae Young scored 35 points and dished out six assists. Dejounte Murray had 19, seven of them in the 11-0 run that started overtime. Onyeka Okongwu scored a personal-best 22 and grabbed 16 rebounds, Jalen Johnson finished with 21+13 and Clint Capela had 17+15.