Curry scores NBA record 50 points leading the Warriors to Game 7 win over Kings

SACRAMENTO -- Golden State star Steph Curry silenced the raucous the Golden 1 Center crowd Sunday, scoring a NBA playoff record 50 points in a dazzling Game 7 performance, lifting the Warriors to a 120-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings and advancing them to the NBA Western Conference semifinals.

Curry's performance -- hitting on 20-of-38 from the field and 7-of-18 from the 3-point line -- overcame sub-par games from Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole.

Just how dominant Curry was was evident in the box score where he took 38 of the team's 100 shots while also pulling down 8 rebounds, dishing off 6 assists and picking up a steal.

"What an incredible performance," Thompson said. "This is a Game 7 I'll forever remember as the Steph Curry game."  

Curry's points are the most in NBA history in a Game 7, topping former teammate Kevin Durant's 48 for the Nets against Milwaukee in 2021.  

As dominant as Curry was as a scorer, Kevon Loony was equally a beast on the boards, pulling down 21 rebounds, 10 of those on the offensive glass.

Looney wound up with 106 rebounds in the series — 37 on the offensive glass. This was his fifth straight playoff game with double-digit rebounds.

In the final five games of the series, Looney had 90 rebounds and 34 on the offensive end with 27 assists.

Golden State now advances to play Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference semifinals starting Tuesday night in San Francisco.

It was Curry's shooting and Looney's relentless assault on the offensive boards that lifted the Warriors to what proved to be an insurmountable 91-81 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Trailing 58-56 at halftime, the Warriors opened the second half with a 13-4 burst and held the Kings to 42 points after intermission.  

Curry's scored 14 points in the quarter and Looney had four offensive rebounds. But the Warriors let a golden opportunity to build the lead slip away with an icy touch from the free throw line including Wiggins who was 1-of-4 in the quarter and 6-of-10 for the game.

Meanwhile, Kings star Domantis Sabonis didn't score and had just two rebounds in the third quarter.

With the Golden 1 crowd roaring on every play, the Kings had ridden the play of Sabonis and reserve wing Terence Davis to a narrow 58-56 halftime lead.

Sabonis had one his best first half's in the seven playoff games scoring 16 points, pulling down 5 rebounds, 4 assists and two assists. Davis, who had only scored 10 points total in the first six games, chipped in nine points. 

De'Aaron Fox struggled a bit in the first half, scoring just 8 points on 3-for-10 shooting. As he has in all the Kings wins, Malik Monk provided 9 points off the bench.

With Thompson a relative no show in the first half, going an paltry 1-for-10, it fell on Curry's shoulders to carry the Warriors. He stepped up to the challenge, scoring 20 points -- his most in the first half of a Game 7 playoff game --  on 8-for-15 shooting. Andrew Wiggins also picked up the slack adding 11 points.

Golden State also shook off the turnover bug. After 5 in the first quarter that lead to zero points for the Kings, the Warriors did not turn the ball over in the second. 

Meanwhile, the Kings had just 4 turnovers in the half.