NEW YORK (AFP) — Stephen Curry scored 60 points in a losing cause on Saturday as Dejounte Murray rescued the Atlanta Hawks in overtime for a 141-134 National Basketball Association triumph over Golden State.
Four-time NBA champion Curry made 22 of 38 shots from the floor, 10 of 23 from three-point range, and added six rebounds and four assists for the injury-hit Warriors.
“Steph was incredible,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “What a performance. I just feel so bad for him and for our guys because they are battling… Steph was sublime.”
Curry was one shy of matching the NBA record for three-point attempts in a game and the 35-year-old guard joined the late Kobe Bryant as the only players over 35 to score 60 or more in an NBA game.
In another key game, LeBron James scored 24 points and Austin Reaves added 22 to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 113-105 victory at New York, snapping the Knicks’ nine-game win streak.
The Lakers outscored New York 33-19 in the fourth quarter to spoil a 36-point performance by Jalen Brunson.
“We just turned up our defensive intensity,” James said of the late heroics. “We was really on point and on time with our doubles, with our hits, with our rotations.
“Jalen is playing at more than an All-Star level this year, so we know he’s the head of the snake. We just tried to wear him down in the fourth quarter, keep him on multiple bodies, keep changing up defenses and I think that helped out a lot.”
In Atlanta, Curry scored 22 points in the fourth quarter and eight more in overtime and looked to have given Golden State the victory on a jumper for a 123-121 lead with 14 seconds remaining in regulation time.
But Murray answered from 14 feet with 4.1 seconds to play to force overtime, then scored seven consecutive points in the Hawks’ 11-0 run to open the extra session and secure the triumph.
“I’m just glad our team got the win,” Atlanta guard Trae Young said. “Steph was going in that second half. He got up to 50, wherever he was going, and in overtime we got a few more stops, got some rebounds and made a few more plays.”
Curry, whose career high is 62 points from a January 2021 win at Portland, took off his jersey after the game, autographed it and gave it to actress Lindsay Lohan.
Young led Atlanta with 35 points while Murray finished with 19 points. Jalen Johnson had 21 points and 13 rebounds while Onyeka Okongwu had 22 points and 16 rebounds off the bench.
Young praised Murray’s clutch effort down the stretch.
