Stephen Curry produced a late burst of quality to ensure the Golden State Warriors closed out victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in a manner described as “championship stuff”.
Curry scored 20 points in the final one minute and 51 seconds of regulation and overtime to secure a 125-116 win.
The 34-year-old nine-time NBA All Star took control of a game which his team trailed 108-100 with 2:05 remaining.
It was a vital win as the Warriors bid to reach the end-of-season play-offs.
The reigning champions, who have won four NBA titles in the past eight seasons, are sixth in a tight Western Conference table.
The top six teams in both the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, ranked by winning percentage, directly reach the play-offs.
Teams who finish between seventh and 10th go into the preliminary Play-In Tournament in the last chance to qualify.
When asked to describe how his team closed out victory, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told ESPN: “Championship stuff. This is the team that won four titles, they know how to win games.
“They got it done against probably the best team in the league.”
Elsewhere, the Sacramento Kings continued their transformation into a play-off contender with a 128-119 win over the Phoenix Suns, who were without recent star signing Kevin Durant because of an ankle injury.
The New York Knicks’ bid to reach the play-offs for only the second time in 10 years took a knock as they lost for the third straight game with a 106-95 defeat by the Los Angeles Clippers, while Jayson Tatum’s 34-point haul helped the Boston Celtics begin a six-game road trip with a 134-125 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
