Not only does LeBron James seem to be winning his battle against time. There is also Stephen Curry, who at 38 years old has not lost an ounce of his shooting touch and remains a lethal player. The Warriors point guard scored 17 of his 41 points in the final seven minutes of the overtime victory over the Magic, 126-119.

This was his sixteenth game with more than 40 points since turning 35, surpassing the marks of the aforementioned LeBron (15) and Michael Jordan (12). Curry has reached the 40-point mark twice in the last five games, having already dropped 44 on the Timberwolves. Over that span, he is averaging 35.8 points while shooting 46.1% from three. Like in his best days.

“The simple fact of knowing that I can still reach a certain level motivates me a lot,” said the star, who made two decisive plays. He hit a three-pointer with 1:38 left in overtime to put his team ahead and then made a layup with 54 seconds remaining. In that way, he helped seal the Warriors’ seventh straight victory, making them the second team in NBA history after the 1950-51 Celtics to start a season by losing their first three games and then reel off a 7-0 run.

Curry has been blessed with a physique that has stayed in shape, but he has earned it through his strength training and fitness level

Steve Kerr, entrenador de los Warriors

Steve Kerr described the level Curry still maintains at his age as “extraordinary”, someone he knows perfectly well. “Work ethic and good genes,” he said by way of explanation: “He has been blessed with a body that has stayed in shape, but he has earned it through his strength training and level of conditioning”.

An impossible shot

After trailing by 16, the Magic went ahead and forced Curry to pull out the best from his repertoire. One of his last baskets, with 25 seconds left in regulation and to put the Warriors ahead, left his coach amazed: “That shot was impossible. There was so much traffic. It was about a 3.6-meter shot, with spin, floating, a hook, whatever you want to call it. Getting it to bounce off the glass is something unique. I don’t know if anyone else in the world can make that shot”.

With two seconds left, Jamal Cain made a layup to force overtime. Curry, somewhat tired, did not start it. The sensational rookie Yaxel Lendeborg (23 points) and Charles Bassey led the team during that stretch. Then the genius returned to the court to seal the victory. The German Franz Wagner, the best for the Magic with 30 points and 11 assists, could not prevent it.