Despite laboring on an injured right ankle, Steph Curry still found a way to score 34 points and rise another spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list during Tuesday’s game in Orlando.
The Warriors guard (25,744 points) moved past Vince Carter (25,728) to climb to No. 22 on the scoring ladder. Surpassing Carter was significant for Curry for a very personal reason. His father, Dell Curry, played with Carter for three seasons in Toronto at the end of his career.
“There are certain names that are a little more special than others, because of past history,” Curry admitted to reporters in Orlando.
Up next on the list is Kevin Garnett, who finished his career with 26,071 points. John Havlicek, Hall of Famers Paul Pierce, Tim Duncan, Dominique Wilkens and Oscar Robertson are all within 1,000 points of Curry as well, as is active guard Russell Westbrook.
Aside from the loss though, there was more bad news for Curry on what could have been a celebratory night. He told reporters he is dealing with a sore ankle that he injured against San Antonio.
“Those are the things you try to continue to play through as you try to build momentum,” Curry said. “We’re looking at how it responds, because I did it again first half tonight, but I don’t think it’s anything crazy.”
Curry has dealt with ankle injuries throughout his career, most recently in January against the Wizards.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters that he and the performance staff will “determine” whether or not the veterans — Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green — will play on Wednesday on the second night of a back-to-back in Miami. All three logged more than 30 minutes against the Magic.
During the road trip, Kerr expressed a desire to give the veterans at least one day off during the trek across the country, and the older players have played in each of the five other road games.