LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The Golden State Warriors rallied late to edge the Indiana Pacers 102-100 on Monday as two-time league MVP Stephen Curry now sits just two three-pointers back of breaking Ray Allen’s NBA all-time record.
Curry came into the game needing seven threes to break the milestone. He scored 26 points and drained five threes, and now needs just one to tie and two to break Allen’s mark of 2,973.
Curry finished with six rebounds and six assists, but he also had seven turnovers. In 35 minutes of playing time, he shot five of 15 from beyond the arc in front of a crowd of 17,018 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse arena in Indianapolis.
Curry and the Warriors got off to a slow start Monday, and Golden State trailed for most of the game. The Pacers led 55-47 at the half.
Curry didn’t hit his first three until the second quarter and committed four turnovers in the first half as his teammates were trying to force the ball to him through the Pacers stifling defense.
The three-time NBA champion Curry admitted after Monday’s game that the record has become a distraction for the team.
“Let’s be honest,” Curry said. “There was a lot of hype around this record. It gets everybody rushing. We had to remind ourselves (how to play the right way).”
Curry doesn’t have to wait long to get his next shot at the record, as the Warriors play the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
“It will happen when it happens. I have respect for all great shooters that have come through the league,” Curry said after the game. “I just want to enjoy the moment because it has been a long time coming in terms of something I have been keying on for awhile.”
‘Grind-it-out’
The Warriors are now 22-5 on the season and among the favorites, along with the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets, to win the NBA title.
Curry had just two threes in the first half as the Pacers blanketed him with their top defensive players.
His first three of the game came off a 27-footer to cut the Pacers lead to 36-32 with 8:30 left in the second quarter.
Curry made some clutch baskets down the stretch, scoring five of the Warriors’ final seven points, including his fifth and final three-pointer. He hit a 24-foot three with 84 seconds left on the clock to pull the Warriors to within two points, 102-100.
He then sank two free throws to tie it 100-100 before Kevon Looney got the winning basket with 13 seconds to go.
“It was a grind-it-out kind of win,” said Curry, who missed a potential record-tying three-pointer in the final seconds. “We had a competitive spirit down the stretch and we got enough stops.”
Andrew Wiggins scored 15 points for the Warriors, while Draymond Green gathered a team-high nine rebounds to go with 15 points.
Domantas Sabonis led all scorers with 30 for the Pacers, who saw a three-game winning streak come to a halt.
Elsewhere, Jayson Tatum had 42 points on 16-of-25 shooting, and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks to snap their three-game losing streak.
In Toronto, Scottie Barnes scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Sacramento Kings 124-101.
© Agence France-Presse
