After three quarters of what many fans deemed as “extremely hard to watch” basketball, Stephen Curry shone in the fourth quarter to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 100-92 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

In a crucial game that could determine playoff seeding, the Golden State Warriors made a bold decision to rest two key pillars, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.

Head coach Steve Kerr had confidence that Stephen Curry could lead the remaining team members to overcome the Portland Trail Blazers, who were at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, with relative ease. However, things did not go as planned. Golden State played lackluster basketball in the first three quarters. Steve Kerr’s squad struggled to execute a cohesive offense and could only keep up with the struggling Blazers, one of the worst-performing teams of the season.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Warriors found themselves trailing as Portland went on an 11-4 scoring run, taking the lead with 9 minutes remaining in the game. But then the golden gate’s hero appeared, none other than Stephen Curry. The “Chef” demonstrated why he is one of the best clutch players in the NBA this season with a stellar performance in the final 9 minutes of the game.

From the moment Portland led by 6 points at the start of the fourth quarter (85-79), Stephen Curry and his teammates responded with a 17-1 scoring run. Curry himself directly contributed to or assisted in 15 points. The remaining 2 points came from free throws. This momentum swing in the fourth quarter helped Golden State regain control of the game and ultimately complete the comeback for a 100-92 victory.

Stephen Curry led the Golden State Warriors in scoring and assists in this game, with 22 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

In the fourth quarter alone, the “Chef” scored 8 points and provided 3 assists, contributing an additional 7 points for the Warriors. Curry’s shooting efficiency in the final 12 minutes stood out with a 60% field goal percentage (3-5 FG), a significant improvement compared to just 29% (5-17 FG) in the previous three quarters.

“Steph has done this many times. Even on a day when he wasn’t shooting well, it didn’t stop Steph from shining and leading us to victory at the most crucial moment,” shared head coach Steve Kerr. Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins followed Curry with 19 and 15 points, respectively. Rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis performed well defensively with 10 points, 4 assists, and 4 blocks.

On the opposing side, former number one pick DeAndre Ayton scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Rookie Scoot Henderson contributed 18 points and 12 assists but also committed 9 turnovers.

This result has heated up the playoff race in the Western Conference NBA. With this win, the Golden State Warriors surpassed the Los Angeles Lakers to claim the 9th position in the standings. Both teams have a record of 45-35, but the Warriors hold the tiebreaker.

The Sacramento Kings also have a 45-35 record and currently hold the 8th position due to their head-to-head records against both the Lakers and the Warriors. These three teams are expected to fiercely compete to escape the 9th and 10th positions and advance to the 7th and 8th spots, where they will have two chances in the Play-In Tournament (potentially losing one game without being eliminated).