Kawhi Leonard was supposed to be able to slow down Stephen Curry. But slowing down Curry, as everyone is learning, is nearly impossible. Curry put up 37 points in 28 minutes, scoring at will against whichever San Antonio Spurs player was guarding him -- whether it was Leonard or Tony Parker -- as the Golden State Warriors routed the San Antonio Spurs 120-90 on Monday.
NBA scores 2016: Stephen Curry showed the Spurs and the rest of the league who the MVP is
Curry and the Warriors ran the Spurs out of the gym, DeMarcus Cousins hung 56 on the Hornets and everything else from NBA Monday.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
No one can even stay close to this Golden State squad. Over an eight-day span, they've beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls and the Spurs by 30 points or more. At 41-4, they have matched the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for the best start in NBA history. And they don't shy away from big games, instead playing at an even higher level as the stakes rise. In fact, Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game they show up in big games because, "They're a pretty cocky group."
They have reason to be, especially Curry. The Warriors feed off him, and he was unstoppable against the Spurs.
He even made the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year look foolish even though he didn’t have the ball.
Curry and the Warriors sliced through the NBA’s top rated defense. They found backdoor cuts and openings all night. Plus, they held the Spurs offense at bay -- forcing 25 turnovers and holding the Spurs to 42 percent shooting. The high-powered offense of the Warriors completely outmatched the top-rated defense of San Antonio.
It was only one game, and the Spurs, who were without Tim Duncan, were far from their best. But the Warriors continue to send a message to the rest of the NBA: they are the best team in the league. Until someone beats them on the big stage, they're the champs.
4 other things we learned
The Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets played the best game of the night thanks to 56 points from DeMarcus Cousins.
Cousins scored 56 points. That’s not a typo. In his last two games, he has 104 points. He is going off. And the Sacramento Kings are following him to new heights, even if they did lose 129-128 in double overtime to the Hornets, who are fighting for their playoff lives in the East.
Cousins fouled out on a questionable call in the second overtime, or else he might have gone for 60. Even so, his performance was otherworldly. His last two games have him in elite company.
Back-to-Back Games with 45 Points & 10 Rebounds - Last 30 Seasons DeMarcus Cousins Antawn Jamison Michael Jordan Charles Barkley
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 26, 2016 The Kings are going to be fighting for the final playoff spot down the stretch this season. If Cousins is playing like this, their chances are good.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are still looking for a complete game under Tyronn Lue.
After nearly coughing up a 15-point fourth quarter lead, the Cavaliers hung on down the stretch to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-107 on Monday. After an offensive dud in their first game under their new coach, the defense was suspect against Minnesota -- it almost gave away the game.
The Cavaliers shot 72 percent in the first quarter but were only up three. Kevin Love was getting time with the second unit and they did their best to get him the ball, but thanks to turnovers and a porous defense the Timberwolves stayed in the game. They kept up their hot shooting, but only led 59-55 at the half. The defense stiffened in the third quarter, and the Cavaliers built up a double-digit lead that ballooned to 15 in the fourth quarter. But the young core of Karl-Anthony Towns -- who had 26 points and 11 rebounds -- Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine wouldn't let up. They crawled back to within three with less than five minutes remaining and then again with a minute to go, but LeBron James was too much. He had 25 points, nine assists and four rebounds as five Cavs scored in double figures. It's still far too early to say that Lue isn't the right coach for Cleveland, but the first two games have left much to be desired.
Isaiah Thomas and the Boston Celtics showed the Washington Wizards they aren't ready for the playoffs yet.
Thomas outplayed John Wall on Monday, and the Celtics coasted to an easy 116-91 win over the Wizards. Thomas had 23 points and nine assists by slicing through the Wizards defense for shots from all over the floor -- and he did it in only three quarters. The Celtics starters weren't needed in the fourth with the game already out of reach.
Thomas was 8-of-14 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc on a night when Wall and the Wizards couldn’t get it going. Wall shot 3-of-11 from the floor and 0-of-3 from deep for eight points. He dished out 10 assists, but that was the only bright spot for the Wizards, who have slowly played their way back into the East playoff race despite some bad losses. They’ve now lost three of their last four games, and two of those losses have come against the Celtics.
The East is a logjam after the Cavs and Toronto Raptors, but the Celtics have started to establish themselves in the thick of it. At 25-21 with a defense that has the ability to stall high powered offenses and a high-scoring point guard with the ability to take over a game, the Celtics are a threat to everyone.
The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat like to slow. Things. Down.
The Bulls-Heat game was the opposite of Monday night's headliner. The Heat won 89-84 despite scoring only 12 points in the third quarter behind big games from Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh as Derrick Rose didn't play the second half with a tight hamstring. Wade turned in a vintage performance with 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists. He was throwing down dunks and hit huge shots down the stretch. Pau Gasol had 19 points and 17 rebounds, but the Bulls offense was nonexistent. Jimmy Butler was only 5-of-15 from the field with 13 points as Justise Winslow put forth one heck of a defensive effort. It wasn't a pretty win, but it was an important game for the Heat. And it's the style they'll need to play if they are going to make a run in the East.
With a new coach at the helm, the Cavaliers appear eager to join the small-ball revolution of fast-paced basketball. The Bulls and Heat are standing pat -- they’re going to counter with hard-nosed basketball. Cleveland almost slowed Golden State enough in last year’s NBA Finals, will one of these teams be able to grind out wins over the new-look Cavaliers?
Play of the night
While Stephen Curry was doing Stephen Curry things, Draymond Green was busy doing his thing to help lead the Warriors to another win. The stretch four can make passes that few point guards can make. Curry is essential to the Warriors, but Green is, too.
5 fun things
Scores
Cavaliers 114, Timberwolves 107 (Fear the Sword recap | Canis Hoopus recap)
Celtics 116, Wizards 91 (Celtics Blog recap | Bullets Forever recap)
Rockets 112, Pelicans 111 (The Dream Shake recap | The Bird Writes recap)
Heat 89, Bulls 84 (Hot Hot Hoops recap | Blog a Bull recap)
Grizzlies 108, Magic 102 OT (Grizzly Bear Blues recap | Orlando Pinstriped Post recap)
Hawks 119, Nuggets 105 (Peachtree Hoops recap | Denver Stiffs recap)
Pistons 95, Jazz 92 (Detroit Bad Boys recap | SLC Dunk recap)
Hornets 129, Kings 128 2OT (At the Hive recap | Sactown Royalty recap)
Warriors 120, Spurs 90 (Golden State of Mind recap | Pounding the Rock recap)
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