It was a late Sunday matinee for the Warriors, and a battle with the youthful, up-and-coming Rockets proved to be one with many twists and turns until the final minutes.
But a little after six o’clock, it became Steph o’clock.
The Warriors were up 88-87 with 5:10 to go in the fourth when Stephen Curry hit a three to make it 91-87.
For the next two minutes, Curry put together a masterpiece β hitting four straight threes to go up 100-89 with 3:15 left.
Curry himself couldn’t believe it.
He blew his own mind, and led his team to a gritty 106-95 win.
Draymond Green made his return to the starting lineup, putting up four points, five rebounds and five assists in 20 minutes. His presence moved Chris Paul to the bench for the first time of the season and, well, the first time ever.
Paul, in his 19-year career, played and started in 1,365 straight games (regular season and playoffs) until Sunday.
Take a minute and soak this one in β for context, the next closest player to reach that feat is Damian Lillard, with 831 straight games started.
The bench newcomer fit right in off the jump, putting up a ridiculous +23 in the first half and a +22 overall.
Finishing with eight points, five rebounds and seven assists doesn’t necessarily pop off the stat sheet, but this is what you can grow accustomed to this late into Chris Paul’s career.
So what makes Paul so effective despite all the mileage?
It’s the excellent court vision, the ability to set up teammates no matter what unit he is playing with, and most importantly, his ability to take care of the ball.
In three games this season, Chris Paul has 28 assists, five turnovers and six steals.
The future Hall of Famer was once a member of the Houston Rockets and a Darth Vader figure for the Warriors.
Tonight served as a gentle reminder that the Chris Paul experiment is working out so far, and he has fully transitioned from an enemy to a friend.
Before Steph o’clock, the bench unit showed out, particularly in the first half.
In eight Curry-less first half minutes , the Warriors went +16 and transformed a three point deficit into a 13 point lead β a very welcoming sight for Steve Kerr.
Gary Payton II came in with the second unit and put on his best Stephen Curry Halloween costume, leading all reserves with 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting in the first half.
The Warriors’ bench unit combined with Stephen Curry to lead the way to a nice road win on the first night of a back-to-back, moving to 2-1 on the season.
Golden State will now travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans on Monday, looking to improve to 3-1 before returning to Chase Center to take on the Sacramento Kings β again.