Steph Curry went off down the stretch as the Warriors survived a career-best 50 point explosion from Denver Nuggets star Aaron Gordon in a second overtime thriller on an exciting Friday of NBA hoops (all times AEDT).
A red-hot Curry completely took over in the clutch, scoring 22 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter and overtime combined to lead Golden State to the 137-131 home victory.
Curry scored 15-straight points for the home side during the final term including a clutch 3-pointer to force OT.
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The sharpshooting superstar produced seven of his team’s 17 points in the extra period, while Jimmy Buter’s triple extended the Warriors lead to 133-127 with 40.7 left to all but ice the win.
Curry‘s 42 points led all five Warriors starters in double figures, with the veteran hitting six 3-pointers with six rebounds, seven assists and three steals as Steve Kerr’s side improved to 2-0 to start the new season.
Gordon’s career-best 50 points marked the most ever by a Nuggets player in a season opener and the sixth player in NBA history to score 50 in a season opener. It included a ridiculous 10-of-11 shooting display from beyond the arc.
Nikola Jokic added a triple-double (21 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists) and Jamal Murray put up 25 points and 10 assists, but it wasn’t enough as Denver kickstarted its campaign with a loss.
Earlier, Rick Carlisle’s only major concern was trying to guide his Indiana Pacers over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Friday’s Finals rematch, not even an ESPN cameraperson could escape the head coach’s warpath.
At half-time in Indianapolis, Carlisle attempted to make his way to the locker room with his players but was being very closely trailed by the cameraperson — too closely, judging by Carlisle’s reaction, which was captured on the broadcast before the cutaway.
Carlisle’s words couldn’t be heard, but the 65-year-old was visibly animated in showing his displeasure with the treatment.
The Pacers coach had already been irate in the waning moments of the first half, clearly frustrated with the officiating as his squad trailed by seven points at the halfway point at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The bigger-picture storyline of the night was the Thunder surviving double-overtime for the second-straight game to begin the season, after opening their campaign with a one-point win over Houston two nights ago, beating the Pacers 141-135 in six periods.
The reigning champions’ triumph was fuelled by last season’s MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who poured in a career-high 55 points and added eight rebounds and five assists while hitting 15-of-31 shots from the floor and 23-of-26 free throws.
The 27-year-old guard, last season’s top NBA scorer, netted nine points in the second overtime to lift Oklahoma City over a determined Pacers squad. It was his fifth career 50-point game.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s three-point play gave the Thunder a 127-126 lead in the second overtime and his bank shot with 2:47 to play in the second extra period gave the reigning champions a 132-128 edge.
The Pacers never came within four again as the Canadian superstar added four free throws in the final 30 seconds.
After the events of Wednesday’s season opener against the Rockets, the Thunder became the first club in NBA history to go into double overtime in their first two games of a campaign.
Indiana forward Pascal Siakam — who scored 32 points in the night — put Oklahoma City beanpole Chet Holmgren on skates and sunk a mid-range jumper to tie the scores at 113 at the end of regulation.
The teams scored 11 points apiece in the first overtime period, before the Thunder put on the afterburners and outscored the Pacers 17-11 in double OT.
Gilgeous-Alexander was assisted by second-year guard Ajay Mitchell, who broke out for 26 points in 38 minutes.
Meanwhile, Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin scored 36 points to be Siakam’s running mate scorer in the long-term absence of Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles).
ALL RESULTS
THUNDER 141 PACERS 135 (OT2)
NUGGETS 131 WARRIORS 137 (OT)
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