Curry scores 53, passes Chamberlain as Warriors topple Nuggets 116-107
Denver’s Murray helped off court with left knee injury
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 53 points to pass Wilt Chamberlain for the most in Warriors franchise history as Golden State beat the Denver Nuggets 116-107 on Monday night.
Draymond Green had 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Andrew Wiggins scored 17 points and Kent Bazemore added 14 for the Warriors.
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Michael Porter Jr. added 24 points and nine rebounds.
Jamal Murray scored 17 points before injuring his left knee in the final minute of the game. He was helped off the court and did not return. Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Murray would get an MRI to determine the severity of the injury.
“Some of the coaches said when they watched the replay, it looked like he hyperextended it,” Malone noted. “It’s just an awful feeling. Keep Jamal in your thoughts and prayers and hopefully, we’ll get some good news.”
Curry scored 21 points in the first quarter, giving him 17,786 in his career. That passed Chamberlain’s 17,783 with the franchise, a record he’d held since 1964.
“To be anywhere near him in any record book or now be on top, it’s surreal and it’s wild,” Curry said. “If you grow up in the game of basketball and you hear his name, you know it’s something extremely special, no matter what it is.”
Curry shot 14 of 24 from the field, making 10 of 18 3pointers. The two-time league MVP added six rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes. It marked his seventh straight game scoring at least 30 points, the longest streak by a Warrior since Rick Barry during the 1966-67 season.
“You can feel it when he’s really got it going on and we could feel it pretty early tonight,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It was kind of surprising to see him break that record in the first quarter. We all figured he’d find a way to get 19 points tonight, but maybe not in the first quarter.”
Before the game, Kerr said: “It’s just an incredible feat. “He’s changed the game. He’s inspired all the young NBA point guards who have come up to become much better shooters. He’s changed the game.”
Denver took a 61-56 lead into halftime, but Golden State took over in the third quarter, outscoring the Nuggets 43-22 for a 99-83 lead.
Denver outscored Golden State 54-36 in the paint, but the Warriors made 18 3-pointers to the Nuggets’ eight.
“That was a big game for us,” Kerr said. “We have a chance to get on a little run. It was important for us to get a win, especially against a really good team.”