Stephen Curry’s ‘refuse to lose’ Game 7 propels Golden State Warriors to 2nd-round

First-round series’ don’t mean a whole lot when you’ve won four NBA championships, but for Golden State Warriors‘ superstar Stephen Curry, Sunday’s Game 7 against the Sacramento Kings will still go down as one of the best playoff games in his career.

Facing a do-or-die matchup in a hostile environment, Curry refused to let his team lose with an aggressive, dominant and record-breaking performance. The reigning Finals MVP poured in 50 points, becoming the first player in NBA history to reach that mark in a Game 7.

The Golden State Warriors have advanced to the second-round of the NBA Playoffs with a 120-100 win over the Sacramento Kings in Game 7 at Golden 1 Center.

Curry was a one-man band in the first-half as he almost single-handedly kept the Warriors within touching distance of the Kings. After Golden State had taken a 20-15 lead early, Sacramento found their offense, took the lead and tried desperately to create separation.

20 first-half points for the two-time MVP kept the Warriors within two at the half, a scoreline they would have been happy with given 1-for-10 shooting from Klay Thompson and little scoring punch elsewhere.

Golden State quickly asserted momentum early in the third, battering the Kings into submission with an avalanche of offensive rebounds. That was led by none other than Kevon Looney who finished with his third 20+ rebound performance of the series, with this one including 10 on the offensive glass.

The Warriors finished with 13 devastating offensive boards as a team in the third-quarter, powering a 35-23 period that changed the complexion of the game. Their ten-point lead heading to the fourth should have been much more if not a 4-for-13 start from the free-throw line.

Golden State suffocated Sacramento the further the half went. As good as Curry was offensively, it was just as much about the defense as the Kings completely lost their rhythm in a slower-paced, grind-it-out game that suited the Warriors and their playoff experience. The hosts had four points in the first six minutes of the final period, allowing Golden State to open up a 19-point lead that put the game to bed.

Curry put on the finishing touches to finish with an even 50 off a career-high 38 shot attempts. He shot 20-for-38 from the field, 7-for-18 from three, and added eight rebounds and six assists for good measure. Andrew Wiggins had an inefficient 17 points but was constantly active on the boards and on defense, while Thompson found some shotmaking in the second-half to finish with 16.

The real heroes were Curry and Looney though, with the latter keeping Domantas Sabonis to six points in the second-half after an ominous 16 in the first. It was that center matchup that may have ultimately proved the difference in the series as Looney continues to prove his invaluable worth.

The Warriors have setup a mouth-watering second-round matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, with the winner of that series to advance to the Conference Finals against one of the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns.