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Kendra Andrews, ESPN
SAN FRANCISCO – Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry took to the court two hours before the game against the Brooklyn Nets – about 45 minutes before normal warm-up time.
He went through exactly the same route — pointing to the stands with assistant coach Bruce Frazier, hitting shots all the way from half-court, and finishing with a soccer-inspired dribble routine. But changing his timing was a big change. One he thought was necessary.
“It was just a call to try to get some space before the game, a little more time to get it right, and it paid off,” Curry said.
Curry led Golden State to victory over the Nets 124-120, and finished the game with 37 points on 14 of 22 shots, including 6 of 8 from three. He also passed the 3,500 three-pointers mark.
His most significant stretch came several hours into the early warmup — about five minutes into the fourth quarter. On the verge of losing another double-digit lead, Curry scored 10 points in one minute and 40 seconds, breathing life into a team that seemed to be losing its pulse.
“Steve had to lead this team, let’s be honest,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Then Draymond news, he’s had the last few days emotionally. And he had a slow start tonight. Then, as he often does, he flipped a switch. You can kind of see when it happens right away. And he was great.”
The Warriors led by 18 points at halftime, but a slow start hasn’t been an issue for this team lately. It was the second quarter and the closing minutes.
It seemed that it was heading towards another bad fate in the third quarter. Then more than that in the fourth. The same issues hurt Golden State – the ill-considered fouls and sloppy turnovers, and then there was the fact that Brooklyn couldn’t afford to miss a shot.
Cam Thomas finished with 41 points, his sixth 40-point game of 2023, the second-most in a calendar year in network history.
By the time Nets coach Jacques Vaughn called timeout with 2:41 left in the third period, the team was trailing by just four points. They outscored Golden State 35-25 in that period.
But three minutes into the fourth quarter, Curry had to stop the bleeding. him too.
Curry danced on Cam Thomas with 6:16 left in the game. He switched from outside the 3-point arc, to inside, to dropbacks, with Thomas trying to keep up with every movement. With just enough room to spare, Curry launched a three.
After only about a minute, Curry found himself with no one within a foot of him. So he launched another.
And 40 seconds later, he fired a third goal, forcing the Nets to call a timeout. Over the past several games, Curry has shown a lot more emotion than usual — kicking a chair in Phoenix, for example.
As he made his way to the bench during a Brooklyn timeout, he bumped into Gary Payton II, with the two repeatedly high-fiving each other and yelling in each other’s faces. But this outburst of emotions was positive.
This is what Golden State needs.
“(That sequence) gave us confidence,” Kerr said. “I think that’s the biggest problem when you’re struggling, maybe you’re a little burned out. You have to find confidence. So I think Steve instills confidence in us.”
Klay Thompson added: “He’s going to lead us to victory. We appreciate him. Hopefully tomorrow we can help carry the load a little bit more. He was special tonight, just his ability to create shots and shoot from all over the floor… I’m just grateful for Steph’s performance tonight.”
As Kerr and Thompson point out, Curry has been carrying a heavy load for Golden State all season.
But against the Nets, Thompson provided assistance, scoring 24 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including four 3-pointers. Thompson has scored 54 points over the last two games – since coming off the bench in Phoenix.
With Green suspended indefinitely, the Warriors desperately need Thompson to bounce back, while Curry continues to search for consistent help.
“It’s not just me. I can’t win a game alone,” Curry said. “I can play well, and I should play well. I know that. But I’m not playing alone. There is definitely pressure and I live these moments. But, there are people who are getting opportunities to progress. … Confidence is starting to build.”