Stephen Curry scored a playoff career-high 50 factors and answered repeatedly to will the defending champions on of their quest for a repeat, Kevon Looney grabbed 21 rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors superior to the Western Conference semifinals by beating the Sacramento Kings 120-100 in Sunday’s winner-take-all Game 7.
Curry’s factors are essentially the most in NBA historical past in a Game 7, topping former teammate Kevin Durant’s 48 for the Nets in opposition to Milwaukee in 2021.
The visiting Warriors fell behind 2-0 on this collection then gained twice on the highway in entrance of a hostile, cowbell-clanging crowd within the state capital to change into the primary reigning champion to drop the primary two video games and win any postseason collection.
Now, carry on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers within the Western Conference semifinals with all that NBA Finals historical past with James and Golden State courting to his Cleveland days. Game 1 is Tuesday night time at Chase Center.
CURRY TO THE RECORD BOOKS.<br>MOST POINTS EVER IN A GAME 7.<br><br>50 POINTS.<br>7 TRIPLES.<br><br>CHEF IN <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/PLAYOFFMODE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>#PLAYOFFMODE</a> <a href=”https://t.co/6KVKfunK1k”>pic.twitter.com/6KVKfunK1k</a>
—@NBA
Sacramento’s particular comeback season is over lengthy earlier than these younger Kings had deliberate. After snapping a 16-year playoff drought — longest in NBA historical past — underneath Coach of the Year Mike Brown, playoff-starved Sacramento earned a No. 3 seed however missed advancing to the second spherical for the primary time since 2004. No extra Light the Beam at Golden 1 Center this season.
Curry shot 20 of 38 with seven threes and delivered after virtually each massive play by Sacramento as Splash Brother Klay Thompson struggled on each ends once more. But Thompson got here by means of in some essential moments, too.
Malik Monk’s putback and three-point play with 14.6 seconds remaining within the third pulled Sacramento inside six just for Thompson to hit an extended three and convert a four-point play to make it 91-81 heading into the ultimate 12 minutes.
Domantas Sabonis had 22 factors, eight rebounds and 7 assists however the Warriors held De’Aaron Fox in verify as he scored 16 factors on 5-for-19 taking pictures in his third recreation taking part in with a damaged index finger on his taking pictures hand.
Trailing 58-56 at halftime, the Warriors opened the second half with a 13-4 burst to take a 69-62 lead and drive a Kings timeout on the 7:50 mark.
Stephen Curry is the 2nd participant at age 35 or older to attain 200 factors in a playoff collection, becoming a member of Michael Jordan. <br><br>Jordan did this in 1998 in each the Conference Finals and NBA Finals. <a href=”https://t.co/2UWEUNTs4J”>pic.twitter.com/2UWEUNTs4J</a>
—@ESPNStatsInfo
Sacramento scored early on with a wonderful mixture of traditional give-and-goes and lengthy jumpers off crisp passing across the perimeter.
But Curry stored coming, and Looney stored scrapping to create second and third alternatives throughout his good collection on the boards.
Curry fired from approach again with precision and fearlessly drove to the basket with jaw-dropping acrobatics all afternoon to ship Kings followers to the exits late within the fourth.
Butler powers Heat previous Knicks in Game 1
Jimmy Butler had 25 factors and 11 rebounds, and the No. 8-seeded Miami Heat stored rolling after barely reaching the post-season, beating the New York Knicks 108-101 on Sunday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Gabe Vincent scored 20 factors for the visiting Heat, who grew to become the sixth No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 once they toppled Milwaukee within the first spherical and proceed to look nothing like a workforce that wanted to win a play-in recreation simply to get the ultimate post-season berth within the East.
They averaged 124 factors in that collection behind Butler’s 37.6 per recreation, however they pulled this one out with old school defence and rebounding that has all the time labored so properly earlier than for them presently of yr.
Jimmy Butler and Gabe Vincent come up massive to assist lead Miami to a 1-0 collection lead!<br><br>Butler 25 PTS, 11 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL<br>Vincent: 20 PTS, 5 AST, 5 3PM<br><br>Game 2: Tuesday, 7:30 PM ET, TNT <a href=”https://t.co/3uM8gsIBx8″>pic.twitter.com/3uM8gsIBx8</a>
—@NBA
Kyle Lowry scored 18 factors for Miami, whereas Bam Adebayo had 16.
Canada’s RJ Barrett scored 26 factors and Jalen Brunson had 25 for the fifth-seeded Knicks, who’re within the second spherical of the playoffs for the primary time since 2013. They began robust and led many of the first half, however the Heat ultimately bought the Madison Square Garden crowd quieter and quieter as the sport went on.
Game 2 is Tuesday night time.
The Knicks had been with out all-star ahead Julius Randle due to a sprained left ankle and so they absolutely missed him when the transition factors dried up and it grew to become a halfcourt recreation.
They may’ve used his taking pictures on a day they went 7 for 34 behind the arc, lacking an opportunity to interrupt open the sport early after which hindering any probabilities of coming again.
The Heat fell behind by 12 factors within the second quarter, however that wasn’t going to faze a workforce that eradicated deficits of 15 after which 16 factors within the final two video games in opposition to Milwaukee. They step by step narrowed the deficit earlier than halftime, blew by the Knicks with a 21-5 run within the third quarter and pulled away to a double-digit lead within the fourth.
