Skip to main content

Warriors make history, top Grizzlies for NBA record 73rd win

History made: The Golden State Warriors cemented their place in NBA lore with their 73rd win of the season on Wednesday.

Get all of Jeremy Woo's columns as soon as they’re published. Download the new Sports Illustrated app (iOS or Android) and personalize your experience by following your favorite teams and SI writers.

The Warriors' regular season ended with the record we've been following all season, one that was set thanks to an offensive onslaught worthy of the accomplishment itself. The Golden State Warriors are the first NBA team to win 73 games, sealing a remarkable regular season with a 125–104 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Warriors didn’t take long to eliminate any and all tension as to whether the mark would fall. The home crowd was hyped, and so was Stephen Curry, whose first six field goals came from three point range. Five of those went in. He had 20 points after one quarter. And so he became the story’s equally-gripping subplot, entering the night needing eight threes to make it 400 on the season.

By halftime, the Warriors had scored 70 points, including 14-of-28 bombing from three, and assisted on 22 of 25 made field goals. The double-digit lead they took with just under two minutes to go in the first quarter stood the rest of the way.

More: The 73 best plays of the Warriors’ 73-win season | Watch Curry’s 400th three

Curry hit his 400th three-pointer of the season for Golden State's first bucket of the second half, and he just kept firing, making 10 of 19 from distance and totaling 46 points to cap what seems sure to be a second straight MVP season.

Golden State finished shooting 52.9% as a team and 42.6% from three, wrapping their season, by and large, the way it pretty much went down. Fans did the wave at Oracle Arena. It was as normal as a 21-point blowout can be. The way the Warriors have desensitized audiences to their brand of high-velocity grandeur is an accomplishment of its own. 

The Warriors open their title defense against the Houston Rockets as the first round of the playoffs kicks off over the weekend. The next stage of their historic chase ought to be every bit as fascinating.