Stephen Curry has played more magnificent games than you could count.
But if you’re counting, you better add this one to the list.
With Warriors co-star Jimmy Butler out and the Rockets subsequently guarding Curry as tightly and physically as possible, he delivered a heroic second half to stake Golden State to a 2-1 series lead.
Houston led the game by three points at halftime.
Then Curry went for 21 points after the intermission.
He finished with 36 points (12-23 FG, 5-13 3FG, 7-8 FT) to go with seven rebounds, nine assists, a steal and two blocks.
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It’s not often Curry winds up with two blocks, and one was a brilliant defensive play to deny Fred VanVleet before tipping the ball to himself and throwing a touchdown pass to Buddy Hield for a layup.
Golden State switched up its starting lineup with Butler out, bringing in Jonathan Kuminga and Quentin Post while also bringing Moses Moody off the bench.
It wasn’t overly successful, as Kuminga played just 17 minutes and ended up losing most of his time to Moody, Hield and Gary Payton II.
Eventually, the Warriors figured out it was one of those nights they should just give it to Curry and get out of the way.
On the night Curry passed Tony Parker to move into 10th on the all-time playoff scoring list, he proved once again that he’s one of the best players in NBA history.
At 37 years old, Curry became the oldest player in NBA history to have a playoff game with at least 30 points, five rebounds, five assists and five threes, according to StatMamba.
He scored or assisted on 57 of the Warriors’ 104 points.
Steph Curry in Game 3 win:
36 PTS
9 AST
7 REB
12-23 FG
5-13 3FGCurry scored or assisted on 57 of Warriors’ 104 points.pic.twitter.com/j0y28yFyQv
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) April 27, 2025
Golden State will likely need Butler back to contend for the biggest prizes.
But it turns out even without him, the legendary Curry can still cook on his own enough to win a hotly contested playoff game against a superior seed.
You never know when a Curry bonanza is coming. You just have to pay witness and appreciate it when it does.
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