Someday, Stephen Curry will stop doing Stephen Curry things. But that day was not Thursday.
The Golden State Warriors star posted his latest incinerating performance against the Orlando Magic, finishing with 56 points and 12 3-pointers. Both numbers are season-highs for the former MVP, and he finished two 3-pointers short of former teammate Klay Thompson’s single-game record of 14.
That included a buzzer-beater from behind the logo to end the first half.
STEPHEN CURRY YOU ARE UNREAL 🤯🤯
CASUAL BUZZER BEATER FROM 3/4 COURT TO END THE HALF 🎯🎯🎯 pic.twitter.com/CdHcVxpe5W
— NBA (@NBA) February 28, 2025
In total, Curry shot 16-of-25 from the field and 9-of-21 from deep, plus four rebounds, three assists and two steals in a 121-115 win for the Warriors. He was one 3-pointer shy of tying his career high.
Curry didn’t really get going until the Magic built up a 17-point lead midway through the second quarter. To that point, Curry had five points.
By the end of the quarter, Curry had 21, then led a 30-9 run out of halftime to build up a lead the Warriors didn’t relinquish.
In ripping apart the Warriors, Curry made a moderate amount of history. It was his 45th career game with at least nine 3-pointers, which is as many as the next five players combined. And it was his ninth 50-point game since turning 30, the most in NBA history (next closest: Wilt Chamberlain with seven).
It was a big enough game that Curry wanted to keep the game ball, which he gave to his mother, who was watching him in their home state.
Beyond Curry, Thursday’s win was the Warriors’ fifth straight and their seventh in eight games with Jimmy Butler in the lineup. Trading for the disgruntled Miami Heat star was supposed to give them a two-way standout who could both facilitate alongside Curry and provide his own scoring, and that’s what’s happened so far.
Butler scored only five, but he chipped in seven assists while helping out plenty on defense. When Curry is shooting like he did, that’s all the Warriors need to be an absolute nightmare to stop.
The Warriors have a solid chance to up that winning streak as well, as they play the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets before what should be a solid test in the New York Knicks on March 4.
Steph Curry’s 56 points lead Warriors past Magic
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A classic performance from the MVP.
You never know who you’ll run into in the NBA. There’s an upset in the league almost every night, because (almost) every team and (almost) any player is capable of catching fire at any moment. And you just might run into them.
For the first half on Thursday, Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic were that team for the Golden State Warriors. The Magic are more talented than their mediocre record would suggest: they looked like one of the better teams in the league early in the year, before getting hit hard by injuries, which they’ve mostly recovered from. So the Warriors knew they could catch fire. But even the most optimistic Orlando fan had to be surprised by what transpired.
The Magic jumped out to a 13-3 lead, prompting an early Steve Kerr timeout. The Dubs responded with good energy, but they were no match for the red-hot Magic.
Entering the game, Orlando was 29th in the NBA in field goal percentage at 43.8%. They were dead last in three-point percentage at 30.4%. Yet after the first quarter, the Magic had shot 4-for-6 on threes, and 15-for-18 overall. It certainly wasn’t a good defensive effort by the Warriors, but it was more a case of the Magic simply hitting everything they put up. An off-balance prayer of a corner three for Jett Howard went in as the quarter came to a close, giving the Magic a 34-23 lead. It was early danger time for a Warriors team kicking off a five-game road trip.
Golden State looked unfazed to start the second quarter, but Banchero was on a superstar tear. He drained a pair of threes to make it a 48-32 Orlando lead four minutes in, prompting a Warriors timeout (Banchero would end the half with 24 points on 10-for-12 shooting). Steph Curry briefly put the team on his back, but the Magic kept hitting shot after shot after shot. An Orlando mid-range jumper with 1.5 seconds left in the half gave the Magic a 17-point lead … and then the game flipped.
Rather than be despondent with the big lead, Curry took the inbounds and hoisted a shot from Orlando’s three-point line. It swished through the net, giving the Dubs a sliver of momentum going into the half, despite trailing 66-52.
Kerr made a halftime adjustment, with Quinten Post replacing Moses Moody to open the half. It turned out to be a brilliant move. After Curry scored three quick points (and Banchero naturally responded with three of his own), Post took over, going on a 10-2 run all by himself. That not only cut into the deficit, but gave the Warriors the energy and confidence that has defined the team since acquiring Jimmy Butler III at the trade deadline.
From there they went to work, with a pair of Curry free throws capping a 25-7 run and giving them their first lead of the game as they neared the halfway mark of the third quarter.
Curry was only getting started though. He went on one of his patented runs, draining three after three, pushing the lead to double digits, and dropping 22 points in the third quarter alone. In a flashback to the pre-Butler days, the team started to fall apart when Curry went to the bench, and the lead evaporated. But Moody drained a clutch three at the buzzer, giving Golden State a 92-87 lead going into the fourth.
It was clear that the goal of the fourth quarter was to attack, attack, attack. Within the first minute-and-a-half, the Warriors had drawn four fouls. Within the first three minutes, the lead was pushed back to 12 points, with Post once again dominating in the early goings of a quarter.
But Orlando — so talented and so energetic — had a few more runs in them. Yet every time they made one, Curry had an answer. They pulled to within four points with just under three minutes remaining, and Curry answered with his 11th three of the night. A pair of Banchero free throws made it a two-point game with 1:55 remaining, but Curry answered with his 12th three. Even when he couldn’t make a three, possessions ended in his dominance: After Franz Wagner made a pair of free throws with 1:19 remaining to make it a three-point game, Curry missed a three … but Butler grabbed the offensive rebound. After Brandin Podziemski missed a shot, Draymond Green grabbed a second offensive rebound, and cleared to Curry, who drew a foul 25 feet from the hoop with 40 seconds remaining.
From there on out it was just a matter of making free throws. Curry made those, then Butler made a pair shortly later. Curry made another two, Green split a pair, and the final buzzer sounded, giving the Dubs a 121-115 win.
And for Curry? A casual 56 points, and yet another statement made in a long career of them.
As he usually does, Curry scored with mesmerizing efficiency, shooting 16-for-25 from the field, 12-for-19 from three-point range, and 12-for-12 from the free throw line. Post matched that efficiency with 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting, including 2-for-4 on threes and 2-for-2 on free throws, while Green finished with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Warriors needed all of those contributions, because the Magic’s young core put on a thrilling performance of their own. Banchero finished with 41 points on 16-for-27 shooting, while Wagner finished with 27 points on 11-for-22 shooting.
For Golden State, it was their fifth-consecutive victory, tying their longest winning streak of the season. They’re 7-1 since adding Butler, and are now just a half-game behind the LA Clippers for the sixth seed in the West.
Things are looking good. The Dubs now get a day off, before visiting the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT.
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Watch Steph drain wild halftime buzzer-beater in Warriors-Magic
Warriors star Steph Curry showed why he’s the master of the long-distance buzzer-beating heave on Thursday night.
With the Warriors trailing big at the end of the first half at Kia Center, Curry took the inbounds pass with 1.6 seconds remaining and drained a miraculous three-quarters-court shot to cut the Magic’s lead to 66-52.
STEPH FROM DOWNTOWN DISNEY 😱
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Curry finished the first half with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 5 of 7 from 3-point range.
This isn’t the first time Curry has hit a shot to beat the third-quarter buzzer in Orlando. He did it almost nine years ago to the day when he dropped in 51 points on Feb. 25, 2016.
On This Day in 2016
Steph Curry lit up the Magic for 51-7-8 on 74% Shooting from the Field and nailed 10 Threes pic.twitter.com/4Cj1frBB43
Thursday also is the ninth anniversary of Curry’s iconic game-winning shot against Oklahoma City.
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
“Curry, way downtown… BANG! BANG! Oh, what a shot from Curry!”
Nine years ago today ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/WsJtFAIued
The Warriors will need a lot more heroics from Curry if they have any chance to come back against the Magic in the opener of a five-game East Coast road trip.
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