Portland, Oregon—Stephen Curry nailed a 3-pointer in overtime and gestured to the crowd, exclaiming over and over: “I’m back! I’m back!”
Golden State’s superstar certainly was.
Curry returned from a sprained right knee to score an NBA-record 17 points in overtime, finishing with 40 as the Warriors rallied to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals with a 132-125 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.
Miami’s Dwyane Wade, meanwhile, saved the Heat in regulation, then finished off overtime with an emphatic dunk as the hosts beat Toronto 94-87 also on Monday to tie their playoff series at 2-2.
Wade scored 30 points and Goran Dragic had a huge three-point play with 22.4 seconds left in overtime.
“I love this game, I love playing and love competing. And really, really missed being out there with my teammates,” Curry said. “To help our team get a win tonight and in that fashion, that was a good feeling in that moment to be back on the floor and playing.”
Playing for the first time since he was injured in Game 4 of the first-round series against Houston, Curry was rusty for three quarters and sensational down the stretch after the Warriors trailed by as much as 16 points.
Originally expected to play about 25 minutes off the bench, Curry picked up a heavier workload in the second half after Shaun Livingston, who had been starting in his absence, was ejected in the second quarter after arguing a call and picking up two technical fouls.
SECOND MVP
Curry’s victorious return came hours after a person with knowledge of the award told The Associated Press that Curry would repeat as NBA MVP, with the announcement coming as early as Tuesday.
The Warriors can win the series Wednesday night at home in Game 5.
Damian Lillard finished with 36 points and 10 assists for Portland.
Dragic and Joe Johnson each scored 15 for the Heat, who rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Game 5 is in Toronto on Wednesday.
Terrence Ross and Cory Joseph each scored 14 for Toronto, which shot 39 percent. Bismack Biyombo and DeMarre Carroll added 13 apiece, while starting guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined for 19 points on 6-for-28 shooting.
Miami was down 77-68 midway through the fourth, and still trailed 79-72 when Lowry got the roll on a 15-footer with 5 minutes left.
Wade scored the next five for Miami, getting the Heat within 79-77. The Heat finally got the equalizer with 12.6 seconds left, Wade getting to the rim for a layup that knotted the game at 83-all.