NBA Playoffs 2016: Astonishing Steph Curry performance gives Warriors victory over Trailblazers
The Steph Curry juggernaut kept rolling as the Golden State Warriors Point Guard (PG) scored a record-breaking 17 in overtime to give his team a 132-125 victory over Portland Trailblazers in the fourth game of the NBA Western Conference semi-finals.
Curry, returning from a knee injury, had a rather slow start to the game and was pretty stiff during regular time, scoring only 23 points. The Warriors PG was not supposed to play for a long duration but took on a heavy workload in the second half after Shaun Livingston was taken off following two technical fouls and a call argument.
The Portland Trailblazers started the game quite aggressively and went into half-time with a 10-point lead over the Golden State Warriors. However, the defending NBA champions stormed back into the game with a stunning performance in the third quarter, scoring 29 points as compared to Trailblazers’ 18.
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A tight fourth quarter took the match into Over Time (OT) as both teams were tied at 111 each. This is when Steph Curry put on the after burners and showed why he is the best player in the NBA. Curry scored a mind-boggling 17 points out of his team’s 21 in OT and helped the Warriors storm to a 3-1 lead in the 7-game series.
The game ended in disappointment for Damian Lillard, who scored 36 points and had 10 assists, which was second only to the brilliant Curry. Warriors now have a chance of sealing the series with a win on Wednesday and reaching the Western Conference finals.
In the post-match interview, Curry was happy about returning to court and spoke about how it takes time for the body to adjust to the rigours of a high-intensity game. Speaking to ESPN, he said, "I love this game, I love playing and love competing. And really, really missed being out there with my teammates.
“To help our team get a win tonight and in that fashion, that was a good feeling in that moment to be back on the floor and playing."
Curry’s return from injury is a huge boost for the Warriors and will further improve their chances of defending the NBA championship. The PG was the fulcrum of their setup during an unprecedented regular season in which they broke the long-standing record of Chicago Bulls by winning 73 games. Curry, to say the least, has been monumental in facilitating this achievement along with the likes of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.