Curry extended his play-in legacy with 35 points Wednesday, setting up a showdown in Phoenix with the eighth seed on the line.
The Golden State Warriors advanced from the first round of the NBA play-in tournament off the backs of vintage performances from Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Al Horford at that. But Curry’s performance was especially special after such an injury-riddled season that saw him miss 27 games with a lingering knee issue. His seventh 3-pointer on the evening broke a tie with 50.4 seconds remaining on a stunning 16-6 run by Golden State to erase the 13-point fourth quarter deficit against the Los Angeles Clippers, who they went on to beat 126-121. As the Warriors prepare to face off against the Phoenix Suns in the next round of the play-in, they’ll need Curry to be as electric as he was on Wednesday night.
His absence this season was palpable on the strain it gave Golden State, with thoughts at a point that Curry should be shut down for the year. There wasn’t much confidence that they would withstand a play-in tournament run. However, Curry is that much of a game changer, and while he didn’t look all himself in his end-of-season return, he reminded everyone what he can really do in the first round of the play-in. He entered the tournament as one of the best participants in its short existence, holding the highest points-per-game average in its history.
Here is the full story from Warriors Roundtable writer Kyle Ngo on Curry’s thrilling return from injury and why he chose to do so ahead of the play-in.
Curry’s 35 points against the Clippers bolstered his average of nearly 34 points per game in play-in tournament history. When it’s mattered the most, and the stakes as high as they are in the play-in, the two-time MVP has been lights out. With the 8th seed in the West and a trip to the playoffs in their sights, Golden State will hope that their battle-tested core led by Curry will help them get one more shot at the postseason.