Curry, the NBA’s all-time leader in three-point shooting, once again demonstrated his long-range prowess, draining 12-of-20 attempts from outside the arc at Memphis’s FedExForum.
The 37-year-old’s dazzling shooting performance helped the Warriors vault over the Grizzlies into fifth place in the Western Conference standings, edging them closer to an automatic playoff berth.
The Warriors improved to 44-31 while the Grizzlies dropped to sixth place with a 44-32 record. The top six finishers in the West qualify automatically for the postseason.
Curry’s masterpiece – his second 50-point game of the season and the 15th of his career – was backed by a triple from defensive linchpin Green and 27 points from Jimmy Butler.
Green finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr lavished praise on Curry’s virtuoso display that has left Golden State firmly on course for the playoffs.
“The guy’s 37 years old, it’s incredible,” Kerr said. “Fifty-two points with people draped all over him all game long. The conditioning, the skill, the audacity, the belief, it’s incredible to watch Steph at work. “I can’t believe he’s still doing this at this age. But he’s put the work in and he’s still got it.”
Grizzlies interim coach Tuomas Iisalo, who took over the team last week following the shock dismissal of Taylor Jenkins, was similarly effusive of Curry’s performance.
“It’s a sight to behold how he operates,” Iisalo said, revealing that the team had been helpless to stop a first-quarter onslaught from Curry that included 19 points.
“In the first quarter we had a specific strategy that we do not want him to get three-point shots – and he found a way to get going anyway. It’s very hard to stop a player of that caliber,” he added.
“Once he gets into that zone, it’s very difficult to get him,” he continued. “I mean, we’re talking about the best movement shooter of all time.”
Memphis, who trailed by as many as 17 points in the first quarter, were left ruing their inability to sustain a second-half rally which saw them open up a four-point lead with just under four minutes remaining.
Ja Morant led the Grizzlies’ scoring with 36 points while Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22.
“Everybody’s hurting in that locker room right now,” Iisalo said. “It really hurts when you put everything on the line and you come up a little short. But that’s life, that’s sports.”
Elsewhere, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points as the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a four-game losing streak with a 133-123 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Devin Booker scored 39 points for Phoenix but it was not enough to prevent the Suns from falling to a fourth consecutive defeat – a late-season mini-slump that has imperiled their playoff hopes.
The Suns are now in 11th place in the West with a 35-41 record, trailing the 10th-placed Sacramento Kings (36-39). Teams ranked 7th to 10th in the conference standings advance to a four-team play-in tournament that determines the final two playoff tickets.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers became the latest team to clinch their playoff place after the Atlanta Hawks slumped to a 127-113 home defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The result ensured that the Pacers, fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 44-31 record, are guaranteed a top-six finish. (AFP)
