The Golden State Warriors have passed the spiralling Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference standings, in large part due to Tuesday's massive performance from Stephen Curry.

Curry hit 12 3-pointers while racking up 52 points, and the Warriors pulled away from Memphis late for a 134-125 win that vaulted them into fifth place in the West.

Golden State closed out the contest on a 13-3 run to earn its third straight victory and move a half-game ahead of the reeling Grizzlies in the conference standings. Memphis has now lost seven of eight and all three of its games since the team fired head coach Taylor Jenkins last week and replaced him with assistant Tuomas Iisalo.

Jimmy Butler scored 10 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter to help the Warriors prevail, while Draymond Green notched his first triple-double of the season with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.

Ja Morant produced 36 points for Memphis but was outdone by Curry, who finished 12 of 20 from beyond the arc to become only the second player in NBA history to make a dozen or more 3-pointers in a game twice in the same season. He also had 12 during a 56-point effort against the Orlando Magic on Feb. 27.

The greatest show in sports,

Wardell Stephen Curry IIpic.twitter.com/UVQjQkCDaN

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 2, 2025

The only other player to accomplish the feat twice in a season was Curry's former Golden State teammate Klay Thompson, who did so for the Warriors in 2022-23.

Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22 points for the Grizzlies, who overcame a sluggish first quarter to take a 122-121 lead when Jackson drove down the lane and scored with 2:36 remaining.

Memphis came up empty on its next three trips down the court, however, as the Warriors scored the next nine points. Moses Moody capped the run with a 3-pointer with 40.5 seconds left that put Golden State up 130-122 and ended any comeback hopes.

Curry amassed 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting during a first quarter in which the Warriors roared out to a 38–21 lead less than 10 minutes in. The Grizzlies steadily chipped away at the deficit, however, and closed within two points late in the opening half before 3-pointers from Moody and Curry sent Golden State into the break owning a 74-66 advantage.

Morant, who recorded 19 of his points in the second half, then led Memphis on an 11-3 run to begin the third quarter that tied the contest at 77-77. The game remained tight until the Warriors separated in the final stages.

Jokic scores career-high 61, but Nuggets lose to Timberwolves in double overtime

The Minnesota Timberwolves overcame an early 16-point deficit and a career-high 61 points from Nikola Jokić to outlast the Denver Nuggets in a 140-139 double-overtime thriller.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker recorded the deciding points by making two free throws after being fouled by Denver's Russell Westbrook with 0.1 seconds left in the second overtime.

Jokic registered the second-highest single-game output in Nuggets history, which he capped by making 1 of 2 free throws with 17.7 seconds remaining in double overtime to give Denver a 139-138 edge.

Westbrook missed a layup on the Nuggets' next possession, though, and Minnesota raced down the court before kicking the ball out to Alexander-Walker, whose corner attempt was off the mark as he managed to draw contact from a defending Westbrook.

AN INSTANT CLASSIC DESERVES A WILD FINISH

Timberwolves get the rebound, push it down court, and draw the foul on the 3PA!

Nickeil Alexander-Walker drills two CLUTCH free throws to secure the win for the Timberwolvespic.twitter.com/CSkEnU1rj9

— NBA (@NBA) April 2, 2025

Jokic added 11 rebounds and 10 assists to his epic point total, surpassed only by David Thompson's 73 points in a Nuggets' loss to the Detroit Pistons on April 9, 1978. The three-time NBA MVP also extended the game on two occasions with points in the final seconds.

The first came when Jokic was fouled with 13.9 seconds left in regulation and the Timberwolves clinging to a 112-110 lead. The star center made both free throws before Minnesota's Julius Randle misfired on a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force extra time.

Denver forced the second OT despite being down 125-120 in the final minute. After an Aaron Gordon 3-pointer got the Nuggets within two, Jokic hit a short floater off a Westbrook feed with 7.3 seconds remaining to forge a 125-125 deadlock and continue the contest.

Alexander-Walker and Randle each finished with 26 points in the Timberwolves' third straight victory and 12th in 15 games. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 34 points while flirting with his own triple-double after compiling 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Denver had a two-game winning streak snapped while playing without two key starters in Jamal Murray (hamstring) and Michael Porter Jr. (personal). In addition to Jokic's huge game, the Nuggets got 30 points from Gordon and 18 points and 12 rebounds from Christian Braun.

The Nuggets led by as many as 16 early on after opening the game on a 21-5 run, but Minnesota closed to within 53-52 at half-time behind Alexander-Walker's 13 points and 11 from Randle.

Bucks shoot franchise-best 68.9 per cent in win over slumping Suns

Curry wasn't the only one with the hot hand on Tuesday, as the Milwaukee Bucks set a team record for field goal percentage in a game during their 133-123 victory over the short-handed Phoenix Suns.

The Bucks shot 68.9 per cent from the field to snap a four-game losing streak and hand the Suns another costly late-season defeat. That field goal percentage is the highest by any team in a game since the Los Angeles Clippers had a 69.3 per cent success rate against the Toronto Raptors on March 13, 1998.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way by hitting 12 of 18 attempts while finishing with 37 points and 11 assists, and Ryan Rollins and Brook Lopez had big nights as well for the Bucks. Rollins went 5 of 7 from 3-point range and 8 of 10 overall while setting a career high of 23 points, with Lopez chipping in 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting.

The Suns lost their fourth in a row and now trail Sacramento by 1 1/2 games for 10th place in the West and the final spot in the conference play-in tournament. They're also without leading scorer Kevin Durant due to a sprained left ankle that will sideline the 15-time All-Star for at least two more games.

Devin Booker tallied 39 points and 11 assists while carrying Phoenix's offence, while Grayson Allen made six 3-pointers to contribute 23 points and match a season high.

The Bucks shot 68.8 per cent in the first quarter to open up a 31-19 lead at period's end, though the Suns caught fire in the second quarter to close the gap. Booker had 15 points during the frame as Phoenix went 12 of 19 from the field to pull to within 60-57 at half-time.

Milwaukee continued to make shots after the break, however, to remain in front. The Bucks connected on 72.2 per cent of their attempts in the third quarter and dominated the latter stages of the period, as they embarked on a 21-6 run to stretch their advantage to 93-71 with under 15 minutes remaining in the game.

We shot a FRANCHISE RECORD 68.9% from the field tonight.

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 2, 2025

Phoenix fought back to cut the lead to 124-120 when Allen buried a 3-pointer with 1:20 left to play. Rollins answered with a 3-pointer of his own on the ensuing possession, however, to start a 7-0 spurt that kept the Suns at bay.