Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant 41st matchup, Digi Mart USA News: Stephen Curry was on an epic run with his 3-point shooting in the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal game against France. Curry made eight 3-pointers, helping Team USA avoid settling for silver instead of gold.
Late in the fourth quarter, with France still hoping for a monumental upset, Curry had the ball at the top of the key and passed to Kevin Durant, one of basketball’s all-time great scorers and the leading scorer in U.S. Olympic history.
Durant passed the ball back to Curry, who launched a fadeaway 3 over Nic Batum and Evan Fournier. The shot put the U.S.
ahead 96-87 with 35 seconds left.
The connection between Durant and Curry is obvious. They were teammates for three seasons and won championships in 2017 and 2018.
Both are among the greatest players ever, having helped define an era of the NBA and won championships, regular-season MVPs, Finals MVPs and Olympic gold.
Durant is a 16-time All-Star and 12-time All-NBA selection, while Curry is a 12-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA honoree. Both are former scoring champions, All-Star MVPs and members of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team.
Durant is No. 5 on the league’s all-time scoring list, and Curry is No. 16. Both are future Basketball Hall of Famers.
Deep into their careers, in season No. 20 for the 38-year-old Durant and season No. 18 for the 38-year-old Curry, both remain vital contributors to teams with championship aspirations. They will face each other for the 41st time on Wednesday when Curry and the Warriors host Durant and the Houston Rockets at 9:30 ET on ESPN.
Curry has spent his entire career with the team that drafted him in 2009, while Durant is with his fifth franchise.
The Warriors are 8-3, winners of eight straight, and have the NBA’s second-best offense at 119 points per 100 possessions. Curry is averaging 30.6 points, 4.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds, shooting 50.3% from the field, 45.7% on 3-pointers and 98.7% on free throws.
Golden State has won three titles in four seasons and four in eight seasons.
Durant’s role remains valuable to the Rockets even though he is not scoring as much. His 21 points per game are the lowest since his rookie season, but Durant noted that his presence makes Houston’s offense better.
The 8-3 Rockets have the third-best offense at 118.5 points per 100 possessions, with Durant shooting 49.6% from the field, 35.7% on 3-pointers and 86.4% from the foul line. He is also averaging 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 blocks.
In the previous 40 matchups, 33 were regular-season games and seven came in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, when Curry’s Warriors rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Thunder. In those head-to-head meetings, Durant’s teams are 24-16.
Curry has averaged 25.5 points, 6.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals, shooting 47.6% from the field and 41.4% on 3-pointers. Durant has averaged 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals, shooting 47.6% from the field and 42.3% on 3-pointers.
The series has produced many classics, including 31 games in which at least one of them scored 30 points. Notable moments include Curry’s pull-up 37-foot 3 with 0.6 seconds left in overtime to give the Warriors a 121-118 victory in Oklahoma City on Feb. 27, 2016, when he scored 46 points with six assists.
Durant scored 54 points against the Warriors on Jan. 17, 2014.
Curry also had 36 points, eight assists and five rebounds in Golden State’s Game 7 victory over Oklahoma City on May 30, 2016. Durant had 45 points and 11 rebounds against the Warriors on Jan. 31, 2010.
Curry reshaped the game with his 3-point shooting, and Durant’s fluid ability to score inside, outside and from mid-range redefined what is possible for a 6-11 forward. This season, Curry has produced games of 44, 31, 34 and 41 points and is shooting 50% on his past 56 3-point attempts.
Durant had 23 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in Monday’s victory over Denver.
Both players continue to deliver, and fans have the chance to watch them together once again. These games should be savored.
