Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler on Tuesday combined for 75 points as the Golden State Warriors squeezed into the NBA playoffs with a pulsating 121-116 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
In a thrilling play-in duel at San Francisco’s Chase Center, the Warriors hung on after a ferocious second-half fightback by Memphis, who trailed by as much as 20 points before rallying back to edge into the lead late in the game.
Just when Memphis threatened to pull off a famous victory, Curry stepped up with a huge 15-point fourth quarter to shepherd the Warriors to a win that sets up a first-round playoff series against second seeds the Houston Rockets.
Photo: AP
Curry finished with 37 points, including six three-pointers, while Butler led Golden State scoring with 38 points in another masterful performance from the former Miami Heat talisman.
Butler singled out teammate Curry for rescuing the Warriors with a heroic fourth-quarter display.
“I’m telling you, that’s a Batman if I’ve ever seen a Batman — always coming to save the day,” Butler said of Curry.
“You’re never out of any game [with Curry], he’s so poised, so calm and he was a huge part of getting us the victory,” he told TNT television. “And we’ve got a group of guys that have got a lot of fight, that never give up and we did what we were supposed to do finally.”
In a post-game news conference, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr rallied to the support of Harvard University, praising the college’s refusal to submit to government oversight demanded by US President Donald Trump.
Kerr, who has regularly criticized Trump and campaigned for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris before last year’s election, arrived for the post-game news conference wearing a Harvard T-shirt.
The 59-year-old revealed that he had been sent the shirt by Harvard basketball coach Tommy Amaker, who Kerr described as a friend.
“It felt like a great day to wear it,” Kerr said, applauding Harvard’s defiance of the Trump administration edict.
“I believe in academic freedom and I think it’s crucial for all of our institutions to be able to handle their own business the way they want to, and they should not be shaken down and told what to teach and what to say by our government,” he said. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, but it’s kind of par for the course right now. So yes, this is me supporting Harvard — way to go, way to stand up to the bully.”
In Tuesday’s other play-in game, Cole Anthony scored 26 points off the bench as the Orlando Magic booked their place in the first round of the playoffs with a 120-95 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Orlando’s superior production from the bench proved decisive as the Magic clinched the seventh seed.
Orlando are to play the second-seeded Boston Celtics in the opening round of the playoffs, with Game 1 of their best-of-seven series set for Sunday.
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
DAY OF BLOWOUTS: Elsewhere, the Lakers clinched the third seed in the Western Conference with a 140-109 pounding of the under-strength Houston Rockets The Denver Nuggets on Friday improved their playoff position, with a triple double from Nikola Jokic helping them to a 117-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Serbian put up 26 points, 13 assists and 16 rebounds. The triple-double performance, his 34th this season, ensured that he will finish the regular season as just the third NBA player to average a triple double across an entire season. The win meant the Nuggets improved to 49-32 on the season and gave them a real chance of grabbing fourth place and home-court advantage in the playoffs. Aaron Gordon top scored with 33 points for Denver,
RSS