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Steph Curry says ‘no chance’ he ever bests Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game

Despite his rise to NBA dominance, Warriors star Stephen Curry believes there is one record he will never break.
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Despite his rise to NBA dominance, Warriors star Stephen Curry believes there is one record he will never break. 

After Golden State’s 112–95 upset loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, reporters asked Curry if he thought he could top Kobe Bryant’s legendary 81-point game.

“Not a chance,” Curry said, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. “There’s a reason why people are still talking about that game to this day. It’s so special.”

Bryant’s 81-point performance against the Raptors in 2006 is the second-highest scoring performance in NBA history and the highest since Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 in 1962. Curry has never scored more than 54 points in a game—which he did on Feb. 27, 2013 against the Knicks—but Lakers coach Byron Scott believes he could still eclipse Bryant’s record.

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“If there’s one guy in the league that has a chance of doing it, it would be him,” Scott said. “But they’ve got so many weapons that’s it not needed from him to have that type of game to shoot it 40 times.”

Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton agreed that though he thinks Curry is capable of scoring that many points in a game, the scenario to do so would likely not present itself.

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“Steph is a talented enough scorer that you could definitely say it’s a possibility,” Walton said. “But it’s not very realistic. If we’re blowing someone out, he’s going to rest.”

The Warriors’ loss to the Lakers (13–51) was their sixth of the season, dropping their record to 55–6. Golden State next faces the Orlando Magic on Monday at 10:30 p.m. ET.

- Erin Flynn