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Curry drops 30 in 30 minutes, leads Warriors to rout of Heat

By

Kerry Crowley

/

A Saturday off day in South Beach?

That’s a recipe for disaster for any NBA team, even one loaded with championship-caliber veterans like the Golden State Warriors. But after his team won the first two games of its six-game road trip, Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr relented, giving his coaches and players the day off on Saturday in Miami.

It was a decision that could have led to lackadaisical and sloppy play, but instead, the Warriors looked energized, using an extended third quarter run to race away from the Miami Heat in a 123-95 victory.

Led by a dynamic performance from two-time MVP Steph Curry, the Warriors emerged from the locker rooms after halftime with a two-point lead that soon ballooned into a 22-point advantage. Miami was able to withstand a hot start from Golden State thanks to nine first half three-pointers and just one first half turnover, but once Curry put his game into overdrive, the Heat were out-manned and left for dead.

Led by a 10-point third quarter effort from Curry, Golden State shot 15-of-21 from the floor and outscored Miami 37-17 while capitalizing against a defense that was without rim protector Hassan Whiteside.

After his 16-point first quarter opened up the Warriors’ offense, Curry worked off screens from Warriors’ big men to find open gaps on the floor that set up easy attempts.

The Warriors didn’t necessarily make the most of the Heat’s defensive lapses, as they instead picked apart Miami with crisp passing including a beautiful fastbreak lead pass from Klay Thompson and a lengthy aerial assist from Curry to Durant as the shot clock was winding down.

The Warriors’ monster third quarter allowed Kerr to rest Curry in the game’s final 12 minutes a day before Golden State is forced to play its third game in four days with a road contest in New Orleans. Curry, though, wasn’t the only guard resting, as Andre Iguodala was given the night off to ease the burden on an achy knee while Shaun Livingston was ejected after just six minutes on the floor.

Livingston was tossed from the game midway through the second quarter after making contact with official Courtney Kirkland underneath Golden State’s basket. Livingston was arguing a no-call on a field goal attempt on which he got fouled when Kirkland stepped in Livingston’s direction. David West came to separate Livingston from Kirkland, but his effort came too late as Livingston wound up receiving the hook.

Without two of their reserve guards, Golden State again turned to a backup center to protect their late lead. Rookie Jordan Bell was active again on Sunday, flying around the floor and jumping out of the gym for highlight-reel blocks and dunks.

In the closing minutes of the third quarter, Bell swatted away Heat guard Goran Dragic at the hoop, turning away a veteran with another display of incredible athleticism. In the fourth quarter, Bell again caught the camera’s attention, skying for an alley-oop dunk after rolling off a screen he set for Durant.

With three games down on their current road trip, Golden State will play in New Orleans, Detroit and Charlotte before flying home this weekend for a quick two-game homestand.

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