Sacramento, California, 1 May 2023 (tca/dpa/MIA) — Stephen Curry, with his clear mouthguard hanging out the corner of his lips, yelled "Light the beam!" after a stoppage of play in the fourth quarter.

Two days after the Kings handed it to the Warriors at Chase Center to force a Game 7, Curry powered the Warriors to a series-clinching win on the Kings' floor and set an NBA record in the process.

Curry poured in 50 points, the most scored in a Game 7 in NBA history, to go with his eight rebounds and six assists as he powered the Warriors to 120-100 victory. The win set the table for a Western Conference semifinals series against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Kings had outplayed the Warriors for most of the first half, taking a two-point lead into the break, and were looking to win their first playoff series since 2004.

But Curry and the crew had other plans.

The Warriors went on an inspired third-quarter run before sealing the win for good in the fourth.

At one point in the fourth, Curry turned and high-fived Andre Iguodala after he knocked down a shot-clock beating 3 in front of the Warriors' bench that put his team up 22.

The Warriors seemed to be stuck in cruise control in the first half. Curry carried the team with his 20 points as Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson struggled to get going. But it was clear that he would need help in the final 24 minutes if the Warriors wanted to pull this thing off.

The Warriors went on a tear in the third, with Curry and Kevon Looney playing a big part in that. They outrebounded Sacramento 23-9, including 13-3 on the offensive glass. They took 10 more shots and made three more treys en route to a 34-23 third-quarter surge.

Looney pulled down seven offensive boards in the third quarter alone and finished the game with 21 total rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass, becoming just the ninth player in NBA history to grab double-digit offensive rebounds in a Game 7. He also had 11 points, making this his fourth career playoff double-double.

Thompson, unfazed by his bad first half where he went 1 for 10 from the field, celebrated a made 3-pointer at the end of the third by making goggles with his hands as he sat on the floor after getting knocked over by a Kings player. Thompson converted it to a four-point play, making his solo free throw, to give the Warriors a 10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The cowbells stopped rattling at Sacramento midway through the fourth.

Curry's 50 points was a playoff career high. He knocked down seven 3-pointers, the most made in a Game 7 in league history.

The Warriors advance to the Western Conference semifinals to face the Lakers. Golden State won't have too much time to relish in its hard-fought victory, with Game 1 set for Tuesday night in San Francisco.