Stephen Curry drops 41 points as Warriors beat Magic in overtime

Historic Night For Curry

Stephen Curry put on another great performance on Saturday night as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Orlando Magic 126-119 in overtime. The point guard scored 41 points, with 17 of those points coming in the final seven minutes of the match.

This was Curry's second 40 point game of the season's first month and the 77th of his 18 year career. It was also his 16th 40 point game since turning 35 years old. That total allowed him to pass LeBron James, who has 15, and Michael Jordan, who had 12, for the most 40 point games after age 35 in league history.

"It makes me super proud of the work that's gone in, especially with some injuries and all that," Curry said. He added, "I appreciate the longevity."

Late Game Heroics

Golden State needed Curry to deliver against an Orlando team that entered the game with a 2-7 record. The Magic fought back from a 16 point deficit in the first half to take a six point lead in the fourth quarter.

Curry responded by scoring 12 points in the final two minutes and 21 seconds of regulation. He made two deep 3s, a layup, two free throws, and a difficult runner with 25 seconds left to put the Warriors up by two points.

"That was an impossible shot," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said about the runner. "I don't know if anyone else in the world can make that shot."

Jamal Cain tipped in a layup for Orlando with two seconds remaining to force overtime.

Bench Support and Overtime Finish

Kerr decided to rest Curry at the start of overtime to protect his minutes. Golden State's bench players filled the gap right away. Backup center Charles Bassey scored the first four points of overtime, and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg hit a wing 3 pointer to put the Warriors up by five points. Lendeborg finished the night with 23 points.

Curry returned to close out the match. He scored two floaters and a free throw in overtime to bring his total to 41 points and seal the victory.

Kerr called Curry's longevity "remarkable" and pointed to his work ethic, strength training, conditioning, and good genes as the keys to his continued high performance.

Seventh Straight Victory

The result gave Golden State their seventh win in a row after a slow start to the year.

The Warriors became only the second team in league history to follow an 0-3 start to a season with a seven game winning streak. The 1950-51 Boston Celtics are the only other franchise to accomplish this feat.