NEW YORK (AP) — Stephen Curry became the NBA’s career leader for 3-pointers and scored 22 points, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 105-96 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Curry made his 2,974th 3-pointer with 7:33 left in the first quarter, followed by a lengthy celebration inside Madison Square Garden where he hugged his parents, teammates and Ray Allen, whose record stood for 10 years.
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Curry’s mark could last much longer, as he is taking and making 3s better than anyone in basketball. He came in averaging a career-high 5.4 per game and went 5 for 14 Tuesday, giving him a league-leading 145. Nobody else had made 100 entering play Tuesday.
“I had great support here,” Curry said during the TNT postgame interview, “This arena, I can’t express how much of an honor that was for the reaction here on the road and the appreciation for this milestone. And obviously, it was great to get the win on top of that. So, a very, very, very special night.”
Curry, who set the record on the same Madison Square Garden court where he had a 54-point game in 2013 before becoming the NBA’s two-time MVP, has already led the league in 3-pointers six times.
Julius Randle scored 31 points for the Knicks, who have lost four straight and seven of eight. They were without RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols
Curry and the Warriors weren’t particularly sharp, perhaps drained by the emotion of the early celebration or a delayed arrival in New York due to flight issues out of Indiana, where they played Monday night.
But they made sure the faltering Knicks couldn’t get anything going, gradually pulling away after a close first half.
By the time Curry made his last 3 of the night, Golden State went up 97-85 with about 2:40 to play and had seized control long before that.
TRAVEL TROUBLE
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The Warriors didn’t arrive in New York until early Tuesday afternoon. They remained in Indiana overnight because of plane troubles, and caught a bus from the hotel to the airport at 9:30 a.m. Teams usually arrive for a road game the night before.
“I told some of the coaches, it’s still better than the old days,” Kerr said. “My first few years, we flew commercial and this was like routine to have a back-to-back where you fly in on the day of the game. But you were on Continental, you weren’t on a charter, so it was a little bit harder back then.”
TIP-INS
Warriors: Curry holds the Madison Square Garden record with 11 3-pointers in the 2013 game. … Andre Iguodala, who has battled right knee soreness, played for just the second time in 13 games. He had two points in 14 minutes.
Knicks: Derrick Rose scored 15 points. Alec Burks had 14 but shot 4 for 15. … The 2013 game was the last one the Knicks beat the Warriors at home. Golden State has won the last eight meetings.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Visit Boston on Friday.
Knicks: Visit Houston on Thursday.
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Source: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com.