Curry's vintage 'flurry' keys 56-point night in win

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Stephen Curry collected the inbounds pass thrown just ahead of him, took a couple of steps and launched a 56-foot running heave, just before the Magic midcourt logo.

"Soon as it left his hand, I knew it was cash," Golden State forward Draymond Green said.

Curry buried the halftime buzzer-beater Thursday night, as Paolo Banchero could react only by raising his hands in frustration. Unfortunately for the Magic, the Curry show was just beginning.

From that shot beyond midcourt to the 3:38 mark in the third quarter, Curry scored 25 of his 56 points to help the Golden State Warriors overcome a 17-point deficit and beat the Magic 121-115 in front of an announced crowd of 18,846.

Curry made 16 of 25 shots, including 12 3-pointers, the most by a player this season. He also was 12-for-12 from the free throw line.

This was his 14th career 50-point game, tying LeBron James and Rick Barry for seventh most in NBA history. He has nine such games at age 30 or older, the most in NBA history, according to ESPN Research.

"We're spoiled around here," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "We're used to it, but it never gets old watching, I can tell you that. I think the fans here tonight, even the Magic fans, they know they're witnessing the greatest shooter ever and one of the greatest performers ever.

"It's not just the shots going in, it's just the fluidity, the beauty of his movement and motion and his audacity -- the shots that he's willing to take. He's an incredible performer, and he put on quite a show tonight."

In that third-quarter outburst, Curry outscored the Magic 22-21, making 6 of 8 shots, including four 3-pointers. It helped turn a 17-point lead for Orlando near the end of the first half into a 12-point deficit.

"Great player. He had a heck of a night," Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. "In that third quarter, [I'll] have to go back, look at it and see exactly where we let go of the rope."

Unfortunately for the Magic, Curry looks forward to playing in Orlando. He recently told Green that the Kia Center was one of his top five places to play, in part due to the large contingent of Warriors and Curry fans who often are in attendance.

During the second half, the Kia Center sounded like a Golden State home crowd.

"There's certain arenas," Curry said. "Obviously, I've had a couple of good games here, but it just looks different. You feel different energy. Our fan base has grown a little bit. I know the home team never likes that, but it's just good energy in here and the fans seem to be into it and they love when a show starts to happen. So I look forward to playing here. Obviously only get one time a year, and it's delivered pretty much every time."

There's also something about Feb. 27 that brings out the best in Curry. Besides his 56-point effort Thursday, Curry had his first 50-point game on the same date when he had 54 points and 11 3-pointers against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 27, 2013.

And this was the nine-year anniversary of when Curry scored 46 points and buried 12 3-pointers in a 121-118 win at Oklahoma City. That night, he pulled up from the edge of the Thunder logo for the winning 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left in overtime, the shot that famously drew a double "bang" from ESPN play-by-play announcer Mike Breen.

"I guess I do like this calendar day," Curry said. "I had my first 50-point game in the Garden. So I have to channel Feb. 27 energy all the time. I don't know what it is, but tonight was different just because we needed all of them to kind of stay afloat and give ourselves a chance and then a lot of guys contributed down the stretch to help us win.

"But it's nice to have a flurry like that and have fun with it."

The Warriors are surging, going 7-1 since trading for Jimmy Butler earlier this month. They have won five straight and are a half-game behind the LA Clippers for sixth in the Western Conference standings. Sixth is their goal to avoid the play-in round.

For Butler, this was his first taste of a Curry explosion as his teammate. At one point, Curry scored 18 points in just under four minutes in the third quarter.

"You just see the defeat and the look of damn near disgust on the defender's face," Butler said. "But there ain't nothing too much you could do about it, you know what I mean? So good luck to whoever it is that is guarding him."

Curry has said that the arrival of Butler has revitalized him, giving him a chance to play in meaningful games the rest of the season and an opportunity to potentially make some noise in the playoffs.

"Since the trade, he's been so dialed in," Green said. "He told you guys all you want to do is play with expectations, have some expectations, and meant that. I think you look at the body of work over the course of the years, obviously we know that's true.

"But you start looking at these performances that's been coming since the trade, and it makes complete sense. So I think there's definitely more of a sense of urgency for sure."