With several offensive playmakers sidelined and one of the hottest teams in the Western Conference visiting San Francisco on Thursday evening, the Warriors needed an extraordinary performance from their best player to have a chance against the Memphis Grizzlies.
As he so often does, Stephen Curry delivered.
The Warriors needed all of Curry’s 46 points in a 113-104 victory over Memphis that moved Golden State to 26-6, leaving the Warriors only a game behind the top-seeded Phoenix Suns (26-5) in the loss column.
“Vintage Steph,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “That’s about as good as it gets against a very physical defense with great size. I think over the last 10 or 12 games, Memphis has had the best defensive rating in the league, so they’re a really good team defensively and for Steph to go out and get 46, he showed every bit of his talent and his will tonight.”
Thursday marked the fifth 40-point performance of the season for Curry and his first game with at least eight three-pointers since November 18 when he matched his season-high with nine in a blowout win over the Cavaliers.
“Definitely wanted this one,” Curry said. “Definitely felt like it’s one you can’t let slip by because of the history, but also knowing what it was going to take to win a game like this with five of our top nine out. So you carry that chip on your shoulder and understand it’s your home court and we talk about protecting our home court no matter who comes in here.”
Curry shot 13-of-22 from the field, 8-of-14 from three-point range and matched his season-high with 13 made free throws on 13 attempts. The 13th-year veteran scored 15 of his game-high 44 points in the third quarter while the Warriors turned a one-point halftime deficit into a one-point lead and then added 16 more in the fourth quarter to help Golden State put Memphis away.
Near the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Warriors’ star appeared to land awkwardly on his right ankle while falling out of bounds on an offensive possession. Concerns about Curry’s ankle were only temporary as he remained in the game and drilled his seventh three-pointer of the night with 8:28 remaining to give Golden State a six-point lead.
“It was strong, I bounced back and I was able to play the rest of the game, so I’m not worried about that at all,” Curry said.
Golden State was without four of its regular rotation players against Memphis as three players –Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Damion Lee– are in the NBA’s health and safety protocols while veteran wing Andre Iguodala missed Thursday’s matchup with right knee soreness.
The absences required Curry to be on his game, but also paved the way for Gary Payton II to have one of his best performances of the season. Making just his second start of the year, Payton II set his season-high with 22 points and hit 4-of-7 attempts from beyond the arc, including one to give Golden State a five-point lead with a minute left in the game.
“He’s a guy that had to claw his way to get to this point, so he’s fearless,” Kerr said. “He’s finally getting a real chance to play big minutes on a good team so he’s the kind of guy who’s going to seize his opportunity and make the most of everything and it’s fun to watch.”
The Warriors are off on Friday before returning to action on Christmas Day in Phoenix against the Suns, who entered the day atop the Western Conference with a 25-5 record. Golden State is 1-1 in head-to-head matchups against Phoenix this season as the Warriors ended the Suns’ franchise-record 18-game win streak at the Chase Center with a 118-96 victory on December 3.
“It’ll be a tough challenge going against a good Phoenix team into their building to get a win, but it’s the task we’re faced with and I expect us to do that,” Draymond Green said.
Source: www.mercurynews.com