Stephen Curry added another entry to a statistical category that places him in rare company, joining Kobe Bryant and James Harden as the only players since 2000 to record at least 20 points in a quarter 30 or more times.
Curry now stands alone at the top of that list with 45 such quarters, ahead of Bryant‘s 36 and Harden‘s 32, after his third-quarter eruption powered the Golden State Warriors to a 123-114 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night at Chase Center.
Curry’s latest outburst came when the Warriors needed it most. Golden State trailed by seven points at halftime and had scored just nine points from Curry through two quarters. That changed quickly after the break. Curry scored 20 points in the third quarter on 6-of-8 shooting, knocking down four 3-pointers and flipping the game in the Warriors‘ favor. Golden State turned a deficit into a lead it never surrendered, outscoring Utah 42-31 in the period.
Curry is one of the greatest ever
The sequence underscored why Curry‘s name sits alongside Bryant and Harden in this exclusive category. His first 3-pointer of the third quarter came just over a minute in, followed by a quick bucket and an assist as the Warriors closed the gap.
Moments later, Curry buried a look-away three to take the lead, then hit another from deep less than a minute later. The run continued with a cutting layup, a pull-up jumper, and another long-range three, capped by a 33-footer from just beyond the midcourt logo that brought the crowd to its feet.
By the end of the night, Curry finished with 31 points, going 6-of-12 from beyond the arc and adding five assists. He accounted for nearly half of Golden State‘s scoring in the decisive third quarter and helped the Warriors overcome a 12-point deficit, a Draymond Green ejection, and 35 points from Utah star Lauri Markkanen. The victory marked Golden State‘s 11th straight home win against the Jazz at Chase Center and its sixth win in the last eight games overall.
No other player has done what Steph has since 2000
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr summed up the third-quarter swing simply, pointing to Curry’s ability to take over a game in short bursts. That ability is reflected in the numbers. Since 2000, no player has produced more 20-point quarters than Curry, a testament to both his shooting range and his knack for changing games in a matter of minutes.
Sharing that space with Bryant and Harden highlights the consistency and volume required to reach those totals. Bryant built his reputation on scoring explosions over two decades, while Harden’s run featured extended stretches of offensive dominance.
Steph’s place atop the list reinforces his status as one of the most impactful scorers the league has seen, capable of altering the outcome of a game in a single quarter.
Read the full article here
