“Steph Curry and Nikola Jokic on the wrong side of history”: MVP candidates become third pair in NBA history to score 50 and lose the game on the same day

Samir Mehdi | 08/02/2021
"Steph Curry and Nikola Jokic on the wrong side of history": MVP candidates become third pair in NBA history to score 50 and lose the game on the same day

Both Steph Curry and Nikola Jokic scored 50 points or more in last night’s games but neither could push their respective teams to a win. 

Steph Curry has been putting up averages this season that are eerily reminiscent of the averages he was putting up in his unanimous MVP season. He’s currently leading the Golden State Warriors to a Playoff berth and doing so with monster scoring outbursts. 

However, his massive 57 point game last night against the Dallas Mavericks was in vain as the Mavs enacted their revenge on the Dubs for their blowout loss the game prior. 

Nikola Jokic has been having an MVP-esque season of his own. He is putting up numbers that are have never been seen before with centers, dating back to the Wilt Chamberlain era of play. Despite Jokic’s play, the Nuggets are still in the middle of the pack when it comes to standings.

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Jokic’s career high 50 points last night wasn’t enough to keep the young Sacramento Kings at bay as they lost to a dagger 3 from rookie Tyrese Hailburton. 

Steph Curry and Jokic become a part of NBA history

Steph and the Joker finds themselves in a category that seems to be quite bittersweet. The category being, ‘two players scoring 50 points on the same night of hoops and still losing’. 

The other two times this has happened was with Damian Lillard and D’Angelo Russell last season and David Thompon and George Gervin in the ‘78 season. 

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The 50+ point game from Damian Lillard, George Gervin, and David Thompson were well over 50 points however. Dame scored 60 against the Nets, Gervin scored 63 against the New Orleans Jazz, and David Thompson had the infamous 73 point game. 

This is Steph Curry second game with more than 54 points in a game this season. Curry had never scored over 54 in a game prior to this season. 

Post Edited By: Amulya Shekhar
Denver Nuggets Golden State Warriors Nikola Jokic Steph Curry

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Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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