Warriors’ star power in evidence again
Even on the road, Curry gets cheers
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — It’s not quite the greatest show in basketball, but it’s close.
And when the Golden State Warriors take it on the road, the legions of loyal followers, casual admirers and even bemused opposing fans offer some evidence that Stephen Curry and his supporting cast are once again the NBA’s top draw.
Forget for a moment the Warriors’ 12-2 record, their impressive triumph over a top Eastern Conference contender or their stretch of seven straight doubledigit victories before that. Just listen. “MVP!” “MVP!” Those chants weren’t directed at Kevin Durant, the home team’s star having an MVP-worthy start himself as the league’s leading scorer through the first month of the season. No, that was the constant refrain from the crowd in response to Curry’s frequent theatrics in a 37-point performance at Barclays Center on Tuesday night.
By the time Curry left the floor for good with about five minutes left, fans rose to their feet every time Curry initiated his rise-and-fire release.
“It was definitely weird,” Curry said afterward. “Throughout that run, we turned a lot of arenas into that, during those three years, especially. It’s fun — for us.”
Curry and the Warriors dazzled opposing fans for years while they rampaged through the league to three titles between 2015-18, and they took that aura with them from arena to arena, a traveling circus of sorts.
The presence of Curry and Co. carries even more weight in East Coast cities such as New York and Charlotte, which they’ll only visit once per season.
“It’s fun to be back in the spotlight again. Our team is really enjoying being back here,” Warriors coach coach Steve Kerr said
Thursday games
WARRIORS 104, CAVALIERS 89: In Cleveland, Stephen Curry scored 20 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter, hitting three straight 3-pointers, and NBA-leading Golden State overcame a 13-point deficit to beat Cleveland.
Curry made 8 of 12 shots, including 4 of 7 3-pointers, in the final period to help Golden State outscore the Cavaliers 36-8. The Warriors ran off the first 17 points of the quarter to seize an 85-81 advantage, holding Cleveland to 12 consecutive empty possessions.
76ERS 103, NUGGETS 89: In Denver, Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points, Seth Curry added 20 and Philadelphia beat Denver to snap a fivegame losing streak.
Playing without Joel Embiid and three other regulars, the 76ers held Nikola Jokic to three points in the second half on a night when enraged Nuggets coach Michael Malone was ejected and had to be restrained by Jokic after charging onto the court as the Philadelphia took control in the third quarter.
Embiid missed his sixth straight game after entering the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
HEAT 112, WIZARDS 97: In Miami, Jimmy Butler scored 32 points and Miami beat Washington for its fourth straight victory.
Butler shot 11 of 19 from the field and made all 10 of his free throws in his second consecutive outing over 30 points.
GRIZZLIES 120, CLIPPERS 108: In Memphis, Tenn., Ja Morant scored 17 of his 28-points in a thirdquarter rally in Memphis’ victory over Los Angeles.
Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 18 points each.
TIMBERWOLVES 115, SPURS 90: In Minneapolis, Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and 12 rebounds to help Minnesota.
D’Angelo Russell added 22 points for Minnesota.
JAZZ 119, RAPTORS 103: In Salt Lake City, Rudy Gay hit five 3-pointers and scored 20 points in his season debut to help Utah beat Toronto,
Gay also had five rebounds while playing just 18 minutes. He missed Utah’s first 14 games while recovering from offseason surgery on his right heel.
LAKERS: LeBron James’ injury status is upgraded to “questionable” ahead of Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics.
James has missed the last eight games with an abdominal strain, but all indications are that James will play with the Lakers at TD Garden on Friday.
James was seen working out before the Lakers played at Milwaukee on Wednesday.