OAKLAND — Since the turn of the new year, Steph Curry has been the hottest player in the NBA. And his shots just keep on burning the nets.
The Warriors cruised 126-111 over the Charlotte Hornets for their NBA-leading 42nd win of the season, but Curry’s resurgence is the story from Oracle Arena, not just another victory.
Draining 11 three-pointers in three quarters Wednesday night against the Charlotte Hornets, Curry finished with 39 points on 14/20 shooting from the floor. If Steve Kerr played him in the fourth quarter, No. 30 likely would’ve broken his NBA record for most three-pointers made. Nobody in the league can cover him right now.
Curry’s January numbers were leaps and bounds better than what transpired in December and the trend has spilled into February. His points per game in January jumped from 20.9 to 27.8. His three-point percentage increased from 37.5 to 43.1. Curry has returned to his confident ways on the basketball court and the jaw dropping highlights are backed up by the numbers.
Take Wednesday for example. Late in the second quarter, a Curry crossover sent Charlotte forward Marvin Williams wobbling to his ankles. The back-to-back MVP drained the three as the crowd mockingly roared at Williams. Steph and slump no longer belong in the same sentence.
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— KNBR (@KNBR) February 2, 2017
There were other components of the game, too, like Klay Thompson scoring a blistering 24 points in the first 13 minutes of the game. Thompson also dished out a rare 8 assists. At times, Kevin Durant barely felt involved in the offense (18 points, 8 assists, 8 rebounds). And he didn’t need to be.
The Warriors tied a franchise record with 15 three-pointers at halftime; Curry’s eight triples in the half tied a career-high. As the teams walked into the locker room, the Hornets had 56 points while the Splash Brothers had 52 combined. Golden State was playing in their own extraterrestrial galaxy.
Starting his third game of the season for the injured Zaza Pachulia (rotator cuff), JaVale McGee held his own in the middle. Alley-oops and blocks were both prevalent, but so were some lapses on defense. Either way, it’s a good test for the 29-year-old to pick up extra minutes in the regular season just in case the Warriors do rely on him in the postseason.
First-round pick Damian Jones scored the first points of his NBA career. In fact, every player on the Warriors’ bench scored including Anderson Varejao. Kerr should take a bow for that alone.
Frank Kaminsky scored a career-high 24 points and secured 7 rebounds. Kemba Walker had one of his worst games of the season, tallying 7 points on 1/5 shooting.
Golden State will travel to Los Angeles to play the Clippers on back-to-back Thursday night.