Two years ago, Steph Curry dropped 43 points against the Celtics in Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals.
Monday marked the special anniversary of a memorable performance from the Golden State Warriors future Hall of Fame point guard. While the Boston Celtics are back in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, just two years ago, the same Celtics met the Warriors in the 2022 edition of the NBA Finals.
During Game 4 of the 2022 Finals, Steph Curry put together one of his best performances in the Finals of all time. Curry torched the Celtics for 43 points on 14-of-26 shooting from the field. Curry caught fire from deep, drilling seven 3-pointers. Curry added 10 rebounds and four assists in 41 minutes during the Warriors 107-97 win.
Following their win in Boston in Game 4 to tie the series at 2-2, the Warriors went on to win the next two games to secure the NBA championship in six games. Curry’s performance in Game 4 helped solidify him as the clear-cut pick for NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.
Before th4 Warriors tipoff against the Trail Blazers, Warriors Wire is rewinding through the team’s memorable matchups, standout performances and everything else in between from New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Before the Golden State Warriors tipoff against the Portland Trail Blazers for the 2020-21 season opener at Chase Center in San Francisco on the first day of 2021, Warriors Wire is rewinding through the team’s memorable matchups, standout performances and everything else in between from New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Dec. 31, 2019
Ahead of the ball dropping on 2019, the Warriors battled the San Antonio Spurs into overtime at AT&T Center in Texas. With D’Angelo Russell sidelined, Steve Kerr leaned on veteran wings Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks.
After the Warriors jumped out to a seven-point advantage in the first quarter, DeMar DeRozan pushed the Spurs into the lead before the st art of the fourth quarter. Outside of DeRozan, five different members of the Spurs notched double-figures in scoring.
Despite San Antonio’s comeback, Robinson III, Burks and Draymond Green wouldn’t let the Warriors’ year-end without a fight. With a bevy of lead changes in the fourth quarter, the Warriors were able to extend the game into overtime.
Yet, Dejounte Murray notched seven of San Antonio’s 17 points in the overtime period to seal the Spurs’ New Year’s Eve win, 117-113.
Burks scored a game-high 28 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field with a pair of triples, four assists, a steal and a rebound in 38 minutes. Robinson III added 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field. Lee tallied another 20 points for Golden State while Draymond Green nearly recorded a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Yet it wasn’t enough to close out Derozan and the Spurs on New Year’s Eve.
In Golden State’s 2021 New Year’s against Portland, Green could make his 2020-21 season debut after missing the first f our games due to an injury in his right foot.
Watch Highlights from Golden State’s overtime battle with the Spurs via YouTube:
Before the Warriors tipoff against the Trail Blazers, Warriors Wire is rewinding through the team’s memorable matchups, standout performances and everything else in between from New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Before the Golden State Warriors host the Portland Trail Blazers for the 2020-21 season opener at Chase Center in San Francisco on the first day of 2021, Warriors Wire is rewinding through the team’s memorable matchups, standout performances and everything else in between from New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Dec. 31, 2015
After winning the NBA Championship in 2015, the Golden State Warriors put an exclamation mark on the year with a win over their Western Conference rivals on New Year’s Eve.
Thompson quickly caught fire, scoring 38 points on 16-of-27 shooting from the field with seven boards and a block in 40 minutes. The five-time All-Star showed off his shooting from long distance, knocking down a game-high six 3-pointers on 11 attempts from beyond the arc.
While Thompson continued to score, Golden State’s other All-Star stuffed the rest of the boxscore. Green recorded a triple-double performance with 10 points, 11 boards and a career-high-tying 16 assists.
Harden led the Rockets with 30 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field. Dwight Howard added a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds in 35 minutes.
With their victory on New Year’s Eve, the Warriors moved to a league-best 30-2 record. The Warriors later met with the Rockets in the first round of the 2016 playoffs. Golden State advanced to the next step with a 4-1 series win.
Watch highlights from Green’s triple-double on New Year’s Eve via YouTube:
Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving provided fireworks on Christmas in 2016.
Before the Golden State Warriors tipoff against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day in 2020, Warriors Wire is looking at memorable matchups, standout performances and everything else in between from the Warriors on Christmas Day.
With Kevin Durant making his move to the Warriors, the 10-time All-Star made his first appearance in Golden State’s storied rivalry with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas Day in 2016. In a primetime rematch of the NBA Finals on Christmas in Cleveland, Steph Curry, Durant, James and Kyrie Irving didn’t disappoint.
Dec. 25, 2016
Durant didn’t waste any time to insert himself into Golden State’s rivalry with Cleveland, scoring 12 points and grabbing four boards in the opening quarter. However, the Warriors couldn’t capitalize on Durant’s early scoring effort due to the trio of James, Irving and Kevin Love combining for 18 points.
The Warriors traded back-and-forth buckets with the Cavaliers leading up to the final quarter. Irving’s 14 point fourth quarter quickly erased Golden State’s seven-point lead, tying the game at 103 with a little over 2 minutes remaining in the contest.
With 1:14 left, Curry knocked down a deep triple to give Golden State a three-point advantage. Yet it wasn’t enough to serve the Cavaliers coal on Christmas.
Over the next minute, Irving scored the final four points to give the Cavaliers a one-point lead with three seconds remaining, sealing Cleveland’s late rally for the win, 109-108.
Durant finished the contest with a game-high 36 points on 11-of-23 shooting from the field with 15 rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in 38 minutes.
James led the Cavaliers with 31 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. Irving added a heroic 25 points with 10 assists, seven steals and six boards.
Watch highlights from Golden State’s Christmas thriller with the Cavaliers via YouTube:
In 2019, Damion Lee and Draymond Green led the last-place Warriors to an upset win over James Harden, Russell Westbrook and the Rockets.
Coming off a blowout loss to the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA season opener, the Warriors will travel Milwaukee on Christmas Day for a chance at getting their first win of the 2020-21 campaign.
Before tipoff against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, Warriors Wire is looking at memorable matchups, standout performances and everything else in between from the Warriors on Christmas Day.
Dec. 25, 2019
While a Christmas matchup in primetime usually marks the start of a long run to the playoffs for the Golden State Warriors, 2019 was a different story. Without Klay Thompson and Steph Curry, the Warriors only registered eight wins before the Houston Rockets coming to town on Christmas day.
Despite being a heavy underdog, the Warriors registered one of their best performances of the season. After falling behind in the first half, Golden State’s defense kept them in the game against James Harden, Russell Westbrook and the Rockets.
The Draymond Green led defensive unit limited Harden to only 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting with 11 assists and six rebounds. In 38 minutes, Golden State’s defense held Harden to only one free throw attempt.
On offense, all five of Golden State’s starters marked double-figures in scoring, with three different Warriors notching 20 or more points.
The combination of second-half defense paired with inspired efforts from Lee and Green helped seal Golden State’s best-upset victory during the 2019-20 season, 116-104.
Watch full highlights from the Warriors win on Christmas Day via YouTube:
Before registering an appearance in the NBA All-Star game with the Washington Wizards, Antawn Jamison developed into a budding pro with the Golden State Warriors.
During his five-season stint in Golden State, the former No. 4 overall pick out of North Carolina averaged 20.2 points on 45.4% shooting from the field with 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and one steal per game.
With a steady list of impressive performances in the Bay Area on Jamison’s resume, his battle against future NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant might be at the top.
December 6, 2000
Coming off a loss to the Seattle Supersonics where he scored a career-high 51 points, Jamison wasn’t going to let another performance like that go to waste, even if it was against Bryant and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Picking up where he left off against the Sonics, Jamison notched 19 points in the first half to give Golden State a 62-57 lead at halftime. While Jamison was cooking in the first 24 minutes, Bryant wasn’t far behind him, scoring 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting in the first half.
While Jamison added another 12 points to his total, Bryant exploded for 17 points in the third quarter alone. Bryant’s scorching third quarter pushed the Lakers to a 10 point lead heading into the final quarter.
With 12 minutes remaining, Jamison struck back, recording another 12 points to lead Golden State’s fourth-quarter comeback. With 41 points at the final buzzer, Jamison was able to push Bryant and the Lakers into an overtime period with the score locked at 107.
In overtime, Bryant and Jamison traded heavyweight power punches. However, with the help of Larry Hughes and Bob Sura, Golden State was able to seal the upset victory at the Arena in Oakland, 125-122.
For the second consecutive game, Jamison finished with 51 points on 21-of-29 shooting from the field with 13 boards, five assists, two steals and a block in 53 minutes. Bryant matched Jamison with 51 points on 18-of-35 shooting with eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals in 51 minutes.
Over his eight-year career with Golden State, Klay Thompson has built a long list of notable performances. Game six of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, 37-points in one quarter against the Sacramento Kings and 14 triples against the Chicago Bulls are just some of Thompson’s epic achievements while wearing Golden State’s No. 11 jersey.
While each is impressive for their own reasons, his effort against the Indiana Pacers in 2016 should be near the top of Thompson’s resume.
Dec. 5, 2016
With Paul George, Monta Ellis and the Pacers in town, it didn’t take Thompson long to catch fire. The five-time NBA All-Star notched 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field in the first quarter of the contest.
In the second quarter, Thompson matched the entire Indiana squad with 23 total points. After only making one 3-pointer in the first 12 minutes, the Splash Brother drilled 4-of-7 long-distance jumpers in the second quarter.
Heading into halftime with Oracle Arena rocking, Thompson tallied a game-high 40 points on 15-of-22 shooting from the field with five triples. Despite a 30-point Golden State lead, the Washington State product wasn’t done.
In the third quarter, Thompson added another 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field to give himself a new career-high 60 points. To the dismay of fans in the Bay Area, Steve Kerr opted to keep Thompson on the bench for the fourth quarter.
During Golden State’s 142-106 win, Thompson finished the game with an NBA season-high 60 points on 21-of-33 shooting from the field with eight triples, two rebounds and an assist in only 29 minutes. Adding to the lore of Thompson’s career-high performance, the three-time champion only dribbled the basketball 11 times during his 60 point effort.
During the era of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green in the Bay Area, a different All-Star could lead the Warriors on any given night. When one of the All-Stars had to miss time, another would step up – a scenario few teams in association could replicate.
In 2018 against the Orlando Magic, Durant stepped up in impressive fashion.
Nov. 26, 2018
With Curry out due to a sore groin and Green sidelined with a sprained toe, Durant led the Golden State Warriors with the Orlando Magic in town.
Coming off a 44 point performance against the Sacramento Kings, Durant registered another 40 plus point-scoring effort in back-to-back games. The reigning NBA Finals Most Valuable Player notched 49 points on 16-of-33 shooting from the field.
Along with scoring, Durant made up for Curry’s absence as a facilitator, dishing out nine assists. The 10-time All-Star added six boards, two steals and two blocks in 40 minutes.
Although the Magic battled behind steady play from Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross, the Eastern Conference visitors couldn’t match Durant’s performance.
After leading the Warriors to a 116-110 victory over the Magic at Oracle Arena, Durant tallied another high scoring mark in the next game. While visiting Toronto, Durant dropped 51 points against the Raptors.
For a three-game stretch, Durant averaged a scorching 48 points on 52.2% from the field with 10 rebounds and 7.3 assists per contest. The former MVP also shot 40% from beyond the arc during that span.
Watch highlights from Durant’s 49 point night against the Magic via YouTube:
Long before Stephen Curry laced up his No. 30 uniform, the Bay Area was the home of a talented scoring forward out of Jacksonville State. In 1984, Golden State’s Purvis Short exploded for a sizzling career-best performance against the New Jersey Nets.
November 17, 1984
After nearly scoring 50 points against the Portland Trail Blazers one week earlier, Purvis Short registered a memorable effort against the Nets.
The 6-foot-7 forward notched a new-career high 59 points on a scorching 20-of-28 shooting from the field. Short lived at the free-throw line, knocking down 15-of-16 attempts from the stripe.
According to Justin Kubatko of Stat Muse, Short’s performance stands in a league of his own.
📅 On this day in 1984, the @warriors Purvis Short scored a career-high 59 points in a loss to the Nets.
There have been 43 games in NBA history in which a player made at least 20 FG and 15 FT. Short is the only one to shoot at least 70% on FG (71.4%) and 90% on FT (93.8%). pic.twitter.com/xVZfz2nJKk
Short added five rebounds and a steal in 40 minutes of action against the Nets. However, his career-high scoring night wasn’t enough to stifle the likes of Buck Williams and Mike O’Koren.
Although Jerome Whitehead added a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, Golden State couldn’t slow down New Jersey’s collective attack.
Six members for the Nets scored in double-figures, including all five of New Jersey’s starting rotation. The Nets were able to put a damper on Short’s night, winning the contest 131-114.
Watch highlights from Short’s time in Golden State via YouTube.
With no hoops on the schedule, Warriors Wire is rewinding through Golden State’s history for memorable matchups and standout performances.
With no hoops on the calendar, Warriors Wire is rewinding the tape back through Golden State’s history for memorable matchups, standout performances and everything else in between.
In a 2016 matchup against the Phoenix Suns at Oracle Arena, the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant turned in a combined effort that could only be replicated by Golden State’s rotation of All-Star talent.
With Devin Booker and the Suns in town, the Warriors displayed just how dangerous their scoring attack could be with a newly signed player like Durant roaming the court.
November 13, 2016
Coming off four consecutive victories, the Warriors welcomed Booker, T.J. Warren and the Phoenix Suns to Oakland. Although the Suns were able to lead the game throughout the first quarter behind the play of Warren and Eric Bledsoe, the Suns had no answer for Golden State’s group of All-Stars.
Curry tallied 30 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field with six rebounds, six assists and two steals in 37 minutes. Thompson matched his Splash Brother with 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting with two boards and an assist in 33 minutes. Both Curry and Thompson knocked down five 3-pointers each against the Suns.
Durant backed up his new teammates with 29 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the field with nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks in 38 minutes.
Following high caliber performances from Curry, Durant and Thompson, Golden State’s fourth All-Star Draymond Green added a near triple-double effort with 14 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.
Curry, Thompson and Durant combining for 89 points helped push the Warriors past the Suns for Golden State’s fifth straight victory, 133-120.
Watch highlights from Golden State’s victory over Phoenix via YouTube:
