The Golden State Warriors made five field goals in the first quarter Friday night and trailed the Los Angeles Lakers by 25 early in the second. By the final buzzer, Stephen Curry had turned the night into a 17-point win and a piece of league history.
Curry finished with 31 points, eight 3-pointers and six assists, and the Warriors beat the Lakers 112-95 at Chase Center to open NBA Cup play. Somewhere in the fourth quarter, he slipped past Dominique Wilkins and his 26,668 points into 18th on the league's career points list.
From 38-15 down to tied
Luka Doncic scored 21 points in the opening quarter alone, and Los Angeles led 38-15 after 12 minutes. Golden State answered with a second quarter that flipped that exact 38-15 margin, and Brandin Podziemski's 3-pointer just before the halftime horn tied it at 53.
The Associated Press said no team since the shot clock arrived, playoffs included, had trailed by 23 or more after one quarter and been even or ahead at the half. It also called the 17-point final margin the biggest such win for a team that was down 20 or more after the first quarter.
Curry hit four 3-pointers in the first half and kept firing. His eight made 3s, on 14 attempts, were a season high and the 94th time in his career he has reached that mark, according to the Warriors. He and Podziemski combined for 18 of Golden State's 27 points in the fourth, when the Warriors stretched a five-point lead to as many as 17.
