LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Stephen Curry scored 26 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 111-85 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, his latest National Basketball Association (NBA) milestone overshadowed by upheaval in Minneapolis.
Curry, the league’s all-time leading three-point scorer, climbed into a tie with Paul Pierce for 19th on the career scoring list as he finished the game with 26,397.
A game-time decision to play because of knee soreness, Curry didn’t have his best-shooting night, connecting on just seven of 18 attempts.
But he made all nine of his free-throws and added seven assists and four of the Warriors’ 20 steals as Golden State led virtually all the way, in a game postponed from Saturday after federal agents shot and killed US citizen Alex Pretti amid the ongoing mass immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Pretti’s death came less than three weeks after an immigration officer in the Midwestern city shot and killed Renee Good.
“You definitely felt the weight of the city,” said Golden State forward Moses Moody, who scored 19 points with eight rebounds and two blocked shots.
“I couldn’t imagine too many different times where that large amount of people are together in the midst of a situation like this, so you definitely felt that.”
Anthony Edwards scored 32 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead the Timberwolves, who lost their fifth straight.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr said he felt the home team were “suffering.”
“I thought the vibe in the stands, it was one of the most bizarre, sad games I’ve ever been part of,” Kerr said of a contest that opened with a moment of silence to honor Pretti and saw fans calling for the exit of federal immigration officials from their city.