Coming into Thursday's game against the Trail Blazers, Stephen Curry and the Warriors had lost two straight. To most teams, that's a slight dip. To Golden State, it was the worst stretch of the season considering they have yet to lose three games in a row.
Watch Stephen Curry dominate Portland and break the NBA’s all-time 3-point record
Curry is a top MVP candidate and this national TV performance was a signature moment for his case.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Portland challenged the Warriors, actually taking a 13-point lead halfway through the second quarter. It was a valiant effort, really. But in the end, there was no slowing Curry. He scored 45 points in the Warriors’ 116-105 win, including 19 in the fourth quarter on perfect 7-for-7 shooting. He broke his own record for most made three-pointers in a season. More importantly for him, Warriors won their 64th game of the season, improving to 36-2 (!) at home.
The play no one will remember in Curry's night, though, is an otherwise ordinary Harrison Barnes dunk in the opening minutes.
Curry had started the game with back-to-back three-pointer. Naturally, the Blazers didn’t want him to get open again, and both Lillard and Batum stuck with him for a tick too long, leading to the easiest Warriors bucket of the night. Portland could have doubled-teamed Curry (and they still did at times) or tried a different scheme, but this play was a clear reminder that if you try to stop him one way, Curry will find another manner to hurt you, whether it involves him scoring points or not.
The Blazers played Curry relatively straight up -- they had to -- and he hit 17 of 23 shot attempts. This Curry celebration after a dagger stepback sums it up well.
There’s never been a player like Curry. This game just adds more fuel to that fire.
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