Steph Curry scored 50 points, but the Golden State Warriors are still trailing the Phoenix Suns 130-119.



CNN

Steph Curry scored 50 points for the 11th time in his NBA career, but his efforts were not enough to Golden State Warriors against the Phoenix Suns as the defending champions lost 130–119.

The Warriors are now 6-9 on the season and haven’t won in eight games on the road, a worrying sign as the team looks to win their fifth title since 2015.

According to ESPN, this is the longest road losing streak for a defending champion since the Chicago Bulls in 1998/99, and the longest road losing streak by the Warriors at the start of a season since 1989/90.

“We’re never going to panic, there’s no point in panicking,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters after Wednesday’s game.

“What we need to do is stay with him and find him. But in order to find it, we have to get everyone on board, on the same wavelength in terms of just worrying about winning – that’s all.

“Tonight I saw a lot of hanging heads,” he added. “I think we feel sorry for ourselves.”

Despite the loss, it was a historic night for Curry, who was 17-of-28 from the field and 7-of-11 from three-point range, while also capturing nine rebounds and six assists.

In doing so, he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to tie Allen Iverson in ninth-most 50-plus games in NBA history.

Clay Thompson had 19 points and Andrew Wiggins had 14, while the Suns, by contrast, had a much more balanced offense, with all five of their starting players in double figures.

Cameron Payne scored a career-high 29 points, including six 3-pointers, while Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges, who scored a triple-double with nine assists and nine rebounds, added 27 and 23 points respectively.

Phoenix, without an injured Chris Paul for the fourth consecutive game and against a free-scoring Curry, was in control for most of the game and led by a comfortable 14-point lead at the end of the third quarter.

“It’s important to have a team,” Booker said of the team’s even distribution of points. “It gives you longevity and will help us get through the season.”

With this victory, the Suns, who are second to the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference standings, improved their record to 9–5 for the season.

The next time they visit the Utah Jazz is Friday, when the Warriors meet the New York Knicks.