SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry is just a couple dozen buckets away from making NBA history.
The Golden State Warriors’ splashy star is just 23 3-pointers shy of Hall of Famer Ray Allen’s all-time 3-point record of 2,973 made. Most impressive is the rate at which Curry is approaching the record; while Allen took the top spot in 1,300 games, Curry is flirting with the top spot in just 784 games heading into Monday night’s game against Orlando.
Curry could break the record in the coming week, barring injury and despite a miniature slump.
Tied down by strong defensive teams in the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs the previous three games, Curry hasn’t made much progress toward the record as he hit a 28% skid from the field shooting 33% from 3-point land (14-of-42).
Against far more porous defenses in the Magic on Monday and Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday, it’s possible Curry could be one swish away from history by the end of the homestand.
“He doesn’t stop moving. I think of him like a soccer player that goes for 48 minutes and just runs out there,” Warriors guard Gary Payton II said. “He creates so much attention and he wears guys on defense down. It’s ridiculous, his condition and how he takes care of his body.”
The Magic are a young team with some intriguing talent in the middle of a rebuild. Still trying to grow some roots in the league, Orlando entered Monday’s game in San Francisco with a 112.1 defensive rating on the road (111.4 overall), ranked 24th worst out of 30 teams.
Even worse are the Trailblazers, a team reported to be battling internal conflicts that have contributed to a 119.1 defensive rating on the road (113 overall), which is ranked dead last in the NBA.
While Curry’s big scoring games tend to ebb and flow — he’s constantly working with Draymond Green around double teams and traps — he’s the one NBA player most likely to go off for double-digit 3-point games.
Curry’s 22 games with at least 10 3-pointers rank a far first among active players. Teammate Klay Thompson is second with five and Brooklyn’s James Harden, while Portland’s Damian Lillard and JR Smith rank third with three each.
Curry is pacing a career-high 13.2 3-point attempts and 5.4 made 3s per game — his two-point attempts (7.4) and makes (3.5) are at their lowest since the 2011/12 season — but his scoring bursts happen in the flow of the game.
“That’s his stuff, he cares about the win more than personal stats,” Payton II said. “He calls so much attention so he knows that, so he sets his teammates up with screens and what not. They know what defenses are going to do, they double Steph. So the natural flow of the game, that’s where he gets his numbers. I know he doesn’t think about it. He just goes out there and plays for the team and everything falls in place.”
Who will play Monday?
Forward Andre Iguodala is expected to sit out for the Warriors game against the Orlando Magic, his 10th straight game out with knee swelling. Kerr said before Monday’s game that he expects Iguodala to play sometime during the Warriors’ upcoming East Coast trip — they play the Philadelphia Sixers, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors on the road. Otto Porter Jr., who sat out Warriors last game against the Spurs to rest a left foot injury, is expected to play Monday.
Returned from a stint with the G-League Santa Cruz Warriors and back into the mix are rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, who could both see minutes against the young Magic.
“I think the plan for two rookies is to do what we’ve been doing, which is sprinkle in some Santa Cruz experience with some game experience here,” Kerr said on Monday. “Circumstances will dictate how much they play here with the injuries and their own progress.”
The pair combined for 48 points in Saturday’s game against the South Bay Lakers. Moody, the 14th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, scored 27 with seven rebounds and three steals. Kuminga, the seventh pick, scored 21 points with six rebounds.
Source: www.mercurynews.com