The Golden State Warriors could have finished Tuesday night in fifth place with a win, or fallen all the way to eighth with a loss. Stephen Curry simply refused to let them lose.
Massive Curry performance lifts Warriors to fifth place in West

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Curry put up 52 points and made 12 three-pointers in a hard-fought 134-125 road win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The win moved the Warriors ahead of the Grizzlies for fifth place in the Western Conference and gave them the season series win and the tiebreaker.

The Grizzlies swarmed Curry in the second half after he made eight three-pointers and put up 32 points before halftime. He looked like he might threaten Klay Thompson’s single-game three-point record of 14 when he made 11 threes in the first three quarters, but hit only one in the final quarter.

It was a big one.

Curry’s 12th three-pointer gave him 50 points and gave the Warriors a one-point lead. After four Jimmy Butler free throws gave them a cushion, Curry’s attempt at a 13th triple (which would have tied his career-high) was tipped in by Brandin Podziemski for a commanding five-point lead.

The Warriors star finished shooting over 50% from the field, 60% from three-point range and a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line. As a team, the Warriors were a perfect 28-for-28 on free throws, a shocking turnaround for a team that was last in the NBA in free-throw percentage at the All-Star break.

Curry also delivered eight assists, grabbed 10 rebounds and got five of the Warriors’ 11 steals. In a game where Ja Morant scored 36 points and rookie Zack Edey grabbed 16 rebounds, the undersized Warriors needed every facet of Curry’s game — and somehow outrebounded the much taller Grizzlies.

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Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler were no slouches themselves. Green put up a triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Butler scored 27 points and went 12-for-12 from the foul line, scoring 10 of those points after rolling his ankle when Edey stepped on his foot on a drive.

It was a huge win for the Warriors and a huge loss for the Grizzlies, who lost their fourth straight game and their third since firing head coach Taylor Jenkins. On Feb. 27, the Grizzlies were in second place. Now they’re in serious danger of ending up in the play-in tournament.

Their only consolation? At least they’re unlikely to have to face Curry there.