The eery connection of Steph Curry's 56-point outburst against Orlando
By Joe Lago
February 27 is officially Steph Curry Day. At least for those who celebrate the Golden State Warriors superstar.
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Curry took unofficial ownership of the date after torching the Orlando Magic for a season-high 56 points and 12 3-pointers in the Golden State Warriors' 121-115 road win that lifted them into seventh place in the Western Conference.
The penultimate day of February (in non-leap years) belongs to Curry because Thursday's offensive explosion was the third of his career totaling 46 points or more on that calendar date.
On Feb. 27, 2013, Curry scored 54 points with 11 3-pointers in a 109-105 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. On Feb. 27, 2016, he poured in 46 points in a 121-118 overtime road win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, burying the winning 3 from just past half court to famously draw a double "Bang!" from ESPN's Mike Breen.
"I have to channel February 27th energy all the time," Curry told reporters. "I don't know what it is. But tonight was different, just because we needed all (56 points) to stay afloat and give ourselves a chance.
"A lot of guys contributed down the stretch to help us win, but it's nice to have a flurry like that and have fun with it."
According to ESPN Research, Curry is the third player in NBA history to score at least 45 points on a single calendar day. The others are Elgin Baylor (Feb. 25) and Wilt Chamberlain, who went for 45 on 16 different calendar days.
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