A deeper look at Curry’s great game.
It was only a matter of time before Curry’s breakthrough performance
Arms spread like an airplane, Stephen Curry took off down the sideline to celebrate making a very Stephen Curry-like 3-pointer.
A f ter receiv ing the pitch from Draymond Green, Curr y jumped, leaned and shot the ball from 27 feet out, drawing contact from guard Gary Trent Jr. As Curry fell to the court, the ball swished through the basket in the final seconds of the Warriors’ 137-122 victory over the Trail Blazers on Sunday at Chase Center to give him a career- best 62 points.
This was a much- needed win for the Warriors (3- 3), who lost to the Trail Blazers (3- 3) by 25 points in the first of this two- game series on Friday, and an inevitable breakout performance by Curry.
“I had a feeling it was coming
pretty quickly ,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s looked great from the start of camp, physically, but he’s barely played basketball the last year and a half.”
Over t he past 14 months, Curr y has rehabbed from a broken left hand that sidelined him for most of Golden State’s 15- win 2019- 20 season, isolated for an offseason while his peers on other teams competed in the NBA bubble, and toiled in the early going of this season as he tried to find his rhythm and jell with a new supporting cast.
But in recent days, Curry had moments that brought to mind what set the two- time MVP apart during so much of his 11year career: brief scoring spurts, made contested jumpers and, in a practice last week, setting a personal record with 105 consecutive 3-pointers.
So when Curry took the floor Sunday night averaging near career-low shooting percentages of 41.3 overall and 31.8 from 3- point range, he did so inspired to get the better of Portland.
“I told ( Kevon Looney) early in the game,” Green said, “‘ you keep screening … because he’s not passing.’”
Curry set the tone early with 21 points in the first quarter and 31 in the first half. With dazzling dribble moves, nifty finishes and pull- up jumpers, Curry surpassed his previous career high of 54 points (at New York in February 2013).
Curry’ s spectacular night set a Chase Center high; he took ownership of the record from Portland’s Damian Lillard (39 points on Nov. 4, 2019), who finished Sunday with 32 points and four assists and helped lead a late comeback effort.
Lilla rd’ s back-toback 3- pointers midway through the fourth quarter cut the Warriors’ lead — which had earlier reached 20 points — to single digits. But Curr y answered with a 3- pointer of his own to keep the Trail Blazers at a comfortable distance.
Curry’s leaning jumper from 27 feet with 42 seconds remaining put the finishing touch on his career game.
Afterward, Kerr pulled Curr y for what would have been his walk- off opportunity in front of fans in non-pandemic times. But, playing without fans in attendance, the applause and cheers came only from his teammates.
“We just had a better energy to start the game, where you can feed off of that,” Curry said. “And in this league, that’s all you really need.”
T hey also needed Green who, in his second game this season after missing the first four with a foot injury, did not score until 2:14 to go but helped make plays on offense and anchored the defense.
“He’s put ting us in spots and getting Steph off the ball, which in turn confuses the defense ,” Kerr said of Green, who finished with 1 point, 8 assists and 3 rebounds and was a team-best plus22 in 28 minutes. “That’s been really great to have him back.”
Throughout the game, Green helped erase Portland’s reliable pick- androll sets, recorded a weakside block on CJ McCollum’s layup attempt and jawed with Lillard in his typical fiery fashion.
It was Green’s assist that led to a 3-pointer by Kelly Oubre Jr. (17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) and opened the Warriors’ 20- point lead with 4:08 left in the third quarter.
With Green supervising the offense and Curry whizzing around the court, their new teammates experienced the hallmarks of the Warriors teams that went to fivestraight Finals.
“He’s an anomaly,” Oubre said of Curr y, who posted a final stat line of 62 points on 18- for- 31 shooting (8 for 16 from 3-point range and 18 of 19 from the free throw line), five rebounds and four assists in 36 minutes.
“I was just happy to be on the same side as him tonight,” he said, “because I know it stunk for the other team.”
However over the last few days, as the Warriors stumbled to start the season, questions mounted from national and social media as to whether the 32-year- old Curry is still a player who can lead a championship-level team. Lillard suggested Curry looked mortal when not surrounded by A ll- Star talent after Friday’s loss to Portland.
The Warriors dynasty may be over, but for Curry, the 62-point outburst assured his critics he’s still in the heart of his prime. It put him in the company of Kobe Bryant, who on Dec. 20, 2005, was the last player to score at least 30 points in both halves of a game. Curry joined Klay T hompson, Rick Barry, Joe Fulks and Wilt Chamberlain as Warriors players to eclipse 60 points in a game.
“T he g reat ones a lways are confident in who they are,” Curry said. “No matter what is said … it doesn’t affect us or me in that respect.”
SMA I LAGIC TO MI S S AT LEAST A MONTH >> Warriors forward Alen Smailagic will miss at least the next four weeks after undergoing surger y to repair a right meniscal tear, the team announced Monday. Smailagic, who has not played in the first six games of the season, had the procedure performed Monday morning at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in South San Francisco.
Smailagic, 20, will begin rehabilitation immediately and will be reeva luat ed in approx imately four weeks.