Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson’s first 20-point game of the season Monday night overshadowed a noteworthy bit of trivia: By logging 35 minutes in that 121-116 win over the Rockets, guard Stephen Curry passed the late Nate Thurmond as the franchise’s all-time leader in minutes.
Curry needed 895 games to accomplish something Thurmond, who played in an era when coaches weren’t too worried about players’ workloads, managed in 757. But by the time Thurmond was traded to the Bulls in September 1974 at age 33, his production was declining.
That’s hardly the case with Curry, who continues to shatter records at 35. On Monday, he became the first player in NBA history to make at least four 3-pointers in his first 13 games of a season. According to ESPN, Curry is also the only player in league history 35 or older to average at least 30 points through his first 13 games of a season.
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And it’s not like he’s just chucking shots. To rank fourth in the NBA this season with 30.4 points per game, Curry has shot 48.4% from the field, 45.3% from 3-point range and 93.1% from the foul line.