Win streak reaches 11 as Curry goes for 42
Late in the second quarter Sunday night, after catching an Andre Iguodala bounce pass in the key, Stephen Curry faked two Washington defenders into the air with a hesitation dribble. As both players soared past him, Curry flung the ball up, facing away from the basket, with his off hand.
The ball rattled through the rim, just two more points in a 10-0 run Curry engineered single-handedly to create distance from the Wizards. The most startling part? That highlight would have a tough time cracking Curry’s top three by the end of the Warriors’ 139-115 win at Oracle Arena.
In powering his team’s 11th straight victory, he resembled the player who
became the NBA’s first unanimous MVP last season. Curry finished with a game-high 42 points on 15-for-22 shooting, including 9for-14 from three-point range, to go with eight assists. When the Wizards inched within striking distance midway through the fourth quarter, Curry came off the bench to hit the gamesealing three-pointer.
It was more validation for a team that, little more than a month ago, lost Kevin Durant to a left knee injury at Washington. Though no one should doubt that Golden State is better with Durant in the fold, its recent inspired play without him has only underscored the dynamism of the rest of the roster.
With Durant watching from the bench Sunday, Klay Thompson (23 points) hit four threepointers and Draymond Green (11 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists) recorded his fifth tripledouble of the season. Overshadowed by the Warriors’ All-Stars were solid contributions from their elder reserves.
Shaun Livingston needed only 10 attempts, including a reverse dunk off a lob from Green, for a season-high 17 points. Thirty-six-year-old David West (10 points, two blocks) and 33-year-old Andre Iguodala (nine points, all in the first half ) reinforced the notion that age is only a number.
“This is exactly what we need down the stretch and going into the playoffs,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “It bodes well that those guys are in a good groove.”
The unquestioned No. 1 option with Durant sidelined, Curry once again is making a habit of brilliant plays. There was the first-quarter sequence when he juked Marcin Gortat into spinning around as Curry drained a corner threepointer. There was Curry’s behind-the-back, no-look bounce pass later in that period to Green, who laid it in. Then, in the third quarter, Curry leaped between three Washington players for a reverse layup.
To send Golden State into halftime with a double-digit lead, Curry hit two three-pointers and two buckets in the paint within 62 seconds. It was the best of a player who has helped ensure that Durant’s injury didn’t spell a collapse for the Warriors. During the 11-game winning streak, Curry is averaging 27 points and 7.9 assists. He is shooting at a 46.5 percent clip from beyond the arc in that span and 50 percent from the field.
“He’s been playing at a great level,” Thompson said, “but that’s what we expect from such a great talent.”
Golden State is playing arguably its best basketball of the season without its eight-time All-Star. Durant could be back as soon as Saturday against New Orleans, so Golden State has at least two more games to showcase its depth.
“We’re all excited for his return,” Livingston said. “He can come in, fit right in, take over the game and do whatever.”