Stephen Curry’s 49 points lift Warriors past Spurs, tie Jordan’s post-30 record
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SAN ANTONIO — Stephen Curry buried two free throws with 6.4 seconds remaining Friday night, finishing a 49-point performance that carried the Golden State Warriors to a 109-108 victory over the San Antonio Spurs and moved him alongside Michael Jordan for the most 40-point games after turning 30.
The late foul shots, drawn when Curry coaxed guard De’Aaron Fox into reaching in during transition, completed Golden State’s comeback from a one-point deficit and secured the club’s second road win in three nights at Frost Bank Center.
Curry went 17-for-29 from the field, drained nine three-pointers and hit all six attempts at the line. The 49-point outburst marked his 44th 40-plus game since his 30th birthday, matching Jordan’s NBA record.
Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama urged the home crowd to rattle Curry before the decisive free throws, but the two-time MVP responded by encouraging even louder noise between shots before calmly sinking both. A defensive stop on Fox at the buzzer preserved the result.
Friday’s effort followed Curry’s 46 points in Wednesday’s 117-104 win in the same building. The 37-year-old guard is now 66-of-70 at the stripe this season and is on pace to lead the league in free-throw percentage for a sixth time.
Golden State had dropped six consecutive road games before arriving in San Antonio. Curry, who missed three contests last week with an illness and struggled for 13 points Tuesday in Oklahoma City, looked refreshed, scoring 28 points on off-the-dribble jumpers — his highest such total since 2015, according to GeniusIQ.
Pregame, the freshly minted sneaker free agent warmed up in a pair of Kobe 6s to signal “new beginnings” to potential sponsors, but he switched to his customary shoes for tipoff. Head coach Steve Kerr, drawing on his Chicago Bulls days during a morning speech, compared the roster to a band and placed himself “just above the guy plugging in the speaker,” while acknowledging Curry as the front-man.
The Warriors (7-9) return home Monday to face the Los Angeles Clippers. San Antonio (5-11) hosts the Phoenix Suns the same night.
Source: ESPN
