SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry had stepped to the foul line 50 times this season with the same result. Swish. Bottom of the net. Put a point on the board.
So, when he was fouled with the Warriors leading by two and less than six seconds left Monday night against the Suns, the game had to be as good as over … right?
Well, eventually.
Only after Curry clanked a free throw for the first time this season. Dillon Brooks grabbed the rebound and passed it ahead to Collin Gillespie, who got off a last-second heave from 36 feet.
It was a clean look, albeit an unlikely one, and could have sent the game to overtime. The shot fell short and Curry’s ill-timed miss proved insignificant.
But in a game that he finished with 33 total — his third in a row with 30 or more — it was the one point Curry left on the board that drew the attention.
“I mean, he’s just made so many big free throws in his career,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Obviously he makes all of those. The law of averages catches up every once in a while.”
In addition to being the greatest 3-point shooter in history, it would make sense then that Curry keeps the same standard in a controlled setting, 8 feet, 9 inches closer to the basket. His 91.3% career rate makes him the most efficient foul shooter of all time.
Curry is also responsible for two of the NBA’s four longest stretches of success from the stripe to begin a season. With his streak, he was closing in on himself (52 in a row in 2017-18) for third place and Steve Nash (53 in 2007-08) for second for the most foul shots without a miss.
It would have taken some time to snatch the record away from Jose Calderon (84 in 2008-09).
But with a chance to put the game on ice and move into a tie for third place, for the first time in a competitive game in 204 days, Curry’s shot clanked off the rim, into the hands of Brooks.
Fortunately for the Warriors, the 11 free throws, five 3s and four shots inside the arc that did find the bottom of the net proved to be just enough in the 116-113 win, their fifth in a row.
While Curry’s free throw streak came to an end at 51, he also extended another with his 33-point performance. At age 38 and 233 days, only two older players have dropped 30 three games in a row: LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
One miss in a vast ocean of splashes, of course, did nothing to shake Curry’s confidence.
“I’m shocked,” Curry smirked, “when I miss anytime.”
