Curry sets record with most 3s in a month, Warriors survive Kings
FILE – Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after he made a basket to pass Wilt Chamberlain as the Golden State Warriors all-time leading scorer during the first quarter of their game against the Denver Nuggets at Chase Center on April 12, 2021 in San Francisco, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by EZRA SHAW / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Draymond Green assisted on a go-ahead hoop by Kelly Oubre Jr. with 1:42 to play and then followed in a Stephen Curry miss 34 seconds later, helping the Golden State Warriors hold off the visiting Sacramento Kings for a 117-113 victory Sunday night.
A second straight win pushed Golden State (31-30) over .500 in its pursuit of a playoff spot in the Western Conference and gave the Warriors a 2-1 season-series victory over their Northern California rival.
The loss was critical to the Kings (24-36), who fell 6 1/2 games behind Golden State in the playoff chase.
Curry had the hot hand anew, finishing with 37 points. He made 7-of-14 from deep to push his total to 85, setting the record for the most 3-pointers made in a month.
Steph Curry (37 PTS) knocks down 7 threes to bring his April total to 85.. the most threes made over a calendar month in @NBAHistory!@StephenCurry30 x #DubNation pic.twitter.com/dsgIBtBtWv
— NBA (@NBA) April 26, 2021
In a game matching teams that had split home blowout wins earlier in the season — the Warriors by 31 in January, the Kings by 22 in March — neither team led by more than nine and entered the fourth quarter separated by just two points, with Golden State up 94-92.
After four ties and three lead changes in the final period, the Warriors trailed 111-110 after a Tyrese Haliburton layup with 1:55 to play before Oubre dropped in his big hoop.
Richaun Holmes had a chance to tie the game and put the Kings ahead, but missed two free throws, after which Curry couldn’t connect from the interior. But Green got to the ball first, tipping it in to give Golden State a three-point cushion.
Haliburton got Sacramento within 114-113 on a layup with 18.5 seconds remaining, and the Kings caught a break when Curry missed one of two free throws with 9.2 seconds left.
But Harrison Barnes, who had hit five of his first eight 3-point attempts, misfired on a potential game-winning 27-footer.
Fouled with seven-tenths of a second remaining after grabbing the rebound, Curry capped a 37-point game with two clinching free throws.
Curry’s game-high point total came despite an uncharacteristic three misses at the foul line in 11 attempts. He shot 11-for-21 from the field.
Oubre chipped in with 19 points, Andrew Wiggins 13, Mychal Mulder 11 and Juan Toscano-Anderson 10 for the Warriors, who opened a three-game homestand with a 118-97 win over Denver on Friday. Golden State has won four in a row at home.
Green finished with game-highs in rebounds with 14 and assists with 13 to complement eight points.
Hitting six 3-pointers, Buddy Hield had a team-high 25 points, Haliburton 24 to go with a team-high eight assists and Barnes 23 for the Kings, who lost for the 11th time in their last 13 games.
Holmes also scored in double figures for Sacramento with 11 points.
