OAKLAND, California: Stephen Curry stood among the coaches during a third-quarter timeout pleading his case to keep playing, and Steve Kerr relented — after a brief chat with the training staff, of course.
And who could blame Curry? He was feeling it after waiting weeks to get back on the floor, even missing the marquee Christmas Day matchup against LeBron James and the Cavs.
“Third quarter, it was a quick look to him and I literally said ‘no way, no way,’” the two-time MVP said. “It felt like the first day of school again, for real.”
Curry made a sensational return from injury by scoring 38 points with a season-high 10 3-pointers, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 141-128 on Saturday night with an energy and spirit that had been missing much of this month without him.
Curry shot 13 for 17 and 10 of 13 from deep in just shy of 26 minutes for his ninth 30-point game this season after missing 11 games with a sprained right ankle. His mere presence brought an energy to the Warriors and all of Oracle Arena, and he spent much of the fourth quarter pacing, gesturing in delight while cheering his teammates with a towel draped over his head.
Kevin Durant added 20 points, nine assists and five rebounds, and Klay Thompson scored 21 points as the Warriors wrapped up nearly three weeks at home in California. Zaza Pachulia scored a season-best 17 points and also had eight rebounds and six assists.
“It wasn’t just him,” Grizzlies interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Curry. “You look up and they’ve got guys that can make shots all over the floor. They were making shots that were contested.”
Marc Gasol led six Memphis players in double figures with 27 points on 10-for-13 shooting.
With his parents, wife and two daughters in attendance, Curry got his first points on a layup at 10:27 that put the Warriors out front 7-0 and led to a Memphis timeout. He hit a 3-pointer at 9:52 before Memphis scored its first points.
Curry received roars from the sellout crowd during pregame introductions, and Durant threw his right arm into the air to cheer his pal’s comeback.
In the game’s closing minutes, Curry hit a 3-pointer, held his follow-through and jubilantly hopped up and down on his left foot. At other moments, he pounded his chest. This marked Curry’s ninth career game with 10 or more 3s, most by any player in NBA history.
“I was feeling pretty good. I think me and him had an understanding where the minutes would kind of fall as the game would go on and I would give him feedback how my body was feeling, and I felt amazing and it was me just saying that, I really did,” Curry said of convincing Kerr he could stay in. “He gave me that extra minute and a half and I made a shot, so it paid off.”
Curry was all smiles during pregame warmups. He hoisted his signature tunnel shot, signed a few quick autographs when daughter Riley arrived to greet him and briefly held his arm around her before turning around to do his customary hallway sprint. His little girl cleared the way, and off her dad went to the locker room.
He’s healthy at last — and it showed immediately.
Kerr had hoped to play his star 20-25 minutes, and Curry hit another 3 just 30 seconds after conferring with the coaching staff during that timeout with 4:36 left in the third.
“Everything just looks better,” Kerr said. “The food in there is going to taste better tonight. My wife’s going to be even better looking than she already is. My kids are going to be happy. Steph, he has that impact.”
Memphis lost here 97-84 on Dec. 20, then watched the Warriors match their season high for points in a half this season by leading 78-67 at the break to the delight of the fired-up crowd.
“The energy was amazing tonight honestly, probably it was because of Steph,” Pachulia said. “Tonight was a total difference, so I guess they were waiting for Steph to come back.”
Draymond Green was ejected with 9:45 left in the second quarter after a second technical foul in a 43-second span. Both were for arguing.
The emotional forward has been ejected twice this season.
Green had five assists and three points in 10 minutes.
Curry makes season-best 10 3-pointers as Warriors beat Grizzlies
Curry makes season-best 10 3-pointers as Warriors beat Grizzlies
Rampant Sabalenka sweeps past Jovic into Australian Open semifinals
MELBOURNE: Relentless top seed Aryna Sabalenka muscled past American teenager Iva Jovic and into the Australian Open semifinals Tuesday to accelerate her bid for a third Melbourne title.
The Belarusian powered home 6-3, 6-0 in blazing heat to set up a clash with either third seed Coco Gauff or 12th seed Elina Svitolina.
It booked the 27-year-old a 14th career Grand Slam semifinal and fourth in a row at the season-opening major.
Sabalenka has won twice in Melbourne, in 2023 and 2024, and seemed destined for another crown last year but was upset in the final by Madison Keys.
Keys’ title defense is over, beaten in the fourth round by Jessica Pegula.
“These teenagers have been testing me in the last couple of rounds,” said Sabalenka, who is on a 10-match win streak after victory at the lead-up Brisbane International.
“It was a tough match. Don’t look at the score, it wasn’t easy at all. She played incredible tennis. Pushed me to to one step better level. And I’m super happy with the win.”
The match was played under an open roof on Rod Laver Arena with the tournament Heat Stress Scale yet to reach the level where it could be closed.
Temperatures are forecast to hit a blistering 45C with a peak of 38C reached during the match.
Defeat brought an end to a breakthrough tournament for 18-year-old Jovic, the youngest player in the women’s top 100 and seeded 29.
She stunned seventh seed and two-time Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini and blitzed past experienced Yulia Putintseva for the loss of just one game to announce herself to the world.
But Sabalenka was a bridge too far.
The world number one safely held serve to lay down a marker, blasting an ace to set up game point and an unreturnable serve to win it.
Jovic made some early errors and sent the ball long on break point to surrender her serve and fall 2-0 behind.
Sabalenka held to pile on the pressure before Jovic fended off a break point on her next serve to get on the scoreboard.
But despite some long rallies as she got into the match and three break points as Sabalenka served for the set, the top seed’s brute force proved too much.
Sabalenka then broke her immediately to assert control of set two and Jovic was spent, with another break for 3-0 then a double fault to slump 5-0 down, signalling the end.
