Steph Curry shows Joe Montana he can throw scoring passes in playoffs, too
Steph Curry's 12 assists overshadow his 20 points as Warriors rout
Lakers to even series at 1-1
>Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) reacts to his third foul
against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second quarter of Game 2 of the
NBA basketball Western Conference semifinal playoff series at the Chase
Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 4, 2023. (Nhat V.
Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
By CAM INMAN | cinman@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: May 4, 2023 at 9:03 p.m. | UPDATED: May 4, 2023 at 9:13 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/05/04/steph-curry-shows-joe-montana-he-can-throw-scoring-passes-in-playoffs-too/

SAN FRANCISCO — Steph Curry dished out the third-most assists of his
playoff career Thursday night.

But, please, refer to them as scoring passes.

Admiring them in the Chase Center audience was Joe Montana, who’d thrown
the most touchdown passes in the NFL playoff history upon retiring with
45 such scoring strikes — and with four Super Bowl rings for the 49ers.

Curry unselfishly looked like a quarterback on the hardwood as the
Warriors pulled away from the Lakers in a 127-100 win, evening their
conference-semifinals series at 1.

It was Curry’s highest total of assists — or scoring passes — since
Steve Kerr became coach in 2014-15. The only other playoff games Curry
notched more: 15 assists in a 2014 opening-round, Game 3 loss to the Los
Angeles Clippers; 13 in a 2013 opening-round, Game 2 win at Denver.

“Steph was brilliant,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “In the first
half, he wasn’t really going offensively, but he was just running our team.”

His 12th assist Thursday night capped the third quarter in emphatic
fashion, with Moses Moody’s dunk making it a 110-80 lead.

Curry’s other assists served as a variety show, to overshadow his 20
points in a smooth 30 minutes.

On assist No. 11, he bounced a pass to between Anthony Davis and Austin
Reaves for a Draymond Green bucket and 92-70 lead.

On assist No. 10, Curry whipped the ball to JaMycal Green lurking in the
corner, for a 3-pointer to make it 88-69.

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It was a much tighter game, however, when Curry’s fifth and sixth
assists came in a key sequence.

He intercepted — sorry, more football jargon — a long pass intended for
LeBron James, and that led to a quick assist on a Klay Thompson
3-pointer. Curry celebrated by asking the crowd to applaud, and he
followed with a shimmy dance back toward the Warriors’ bench with a
36-35 lead intact 9:17 before halftime.

After that, Curry and James traded layups, then it was time for assist
No. 7 — a Kevon Looney layup for a 40-37 cushion. An assist to Draymond
Green dunk just before halftime put the Warriors’ lead at 67-54.

Curry was 7-of-12 shooting from the floor, after making 20-of-38 shots
for a 50-point milestone in the Warriors’ last win — in Game 7 of the
opening round at Sacramento.

“That’s the beauty of Steph. He’s so unselfish,” Kerr said. “He’s
willing to do whatever it takes to win. He knew going into Game 7 in
Sacramento, he had to do what he did. He doesn’t have to take that
mentality every night, like tonight.

“The way things were clicking, Steph was content being a more
traditional point guard.”

Alas, there was no need to send Curry back to try for a career-high 16th
assist.

Speaking of No. 16, that was Montana’s jersey number, at least in his
49ers’ tenure. His 45 playoff touchdown passes are now tied for
second-most in NFL history, a mark he shares with Aaron Rodgers and one
surpassed only by Tom Brady, who had 88 assists — touchdown passes — the
past 23 seasons of his career.

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NBA
@NBA ·Follow
Past and present @49ers at Chase Center 👏

#NBACelebRow
[video]

7:46 PM · May 4, 2023
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Montana wasn’t the only 49er in the house on Thursday. Tight end George
Kittle, running back Christian McCaffrey and new quarterback Sam Darnold
sat courtside, too. After the game, Thompson came over to say hello to
the three current members of the red-and-gold.

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Golden State Warriors
@warriors ·Follow
BAY AREAAA

@49ers || #BayAreaUnite
[video]

8:56 PM · May 4, 2023
2.8K Reply Share
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Cam Inman | San Francisco 49ers reporter
Cam Inman is a Bay Area News Group sports reporter who covers the San
Francisco 49ers for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. He joined the
Bay Area News Group in 1995, though he delivered the San Jose News
growing up in Cupertino and turned pro as a sportswriter with the
Cupertino Courier in 1988. He covered youth and high school sports upon
joining Pleasanton's Valley Times in 1995, and he's since covered most
college and pro teams as both a reporter and columnist, though the 49ers
and NFL are his specialties. Cam graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis
Obispo with a BA degree in journalism.