Steph Curry didn’t even have to get off the bench for the fourth quarter. His work was already done.
We saw him play the role of showman on Sunday, when he scored 50 points and knocked down 16 3-pointers in a memorable All-Star Game performance for the ages. We’ve seen him play the role of supreme scorer at times throughout the season. On Thursday night, Steph played the role of facilitator.
Looking at his target before a pass proved to be optional on a night when Curry seemed to be in a zone. He racked up a season-high 14 assists in just 27 minutes to pace the Warriors to an encouraging 132-95 win over the shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers.
"Steph was brilliant tonight," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "They were trapping him and he was getting the ball out and finding open cutters, and creating 4-on-3s for us all night. I loved his patience and the way he kinda ran the team tonight. He played a beautiful game."
Golden State has big goals in mind coming out of the All-Star break. Winning on Thursday was expected as the Blazers are without stars Damian Lillard (abdomen) and Jusuf Nurkic (foot). The Warriors ran circles around Portland’s green group and racked up 36 assists, hitting a magic number in the process.
"Just trying to make simple, easy plays," Curry said. "Especially after the slow start. We really found a rhythm offensively and got stops."
The No. 30 holds significance for the Warriors because of Curry. It also means something when it comes to the assist column. Golden State’s offensive ball movement is often a barometer of its success, as the team is now 21-1 when collecting at least 30 assists this season.
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Obviously, Steph's scoring exploits are what make him so special, but the Warriors also have a track record of success when he’s dishing the ball consistently. The Warriors are 8-3 when he notches double-digit assists this season and 57-8 dating back to the 2014-15 season when Kerr took over as coach.
"I think this is something he's always done," Klay Thompson said of Curry's passing. "Not going to say it's better than ever. I've played with the guy for 10 years now and he's always been able to pass like this. It's just the scoring's so good it can be overlooked at times."
From the beginning of the game, it was clear Curry was feeling the rhythm of the game, as he dished out some no-look dimes throughout the night.
Steph with another dish 🤩 pic.twitter.com/EWS3uQzcay
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 25, 2022
Perhaps his most impressive pass came on this long heave to Jordan Poole in the second quarter, when Poole just caught it, turned and splashed on the spot.
One of Kerr’s favorite adages is that the ball moves faster than any man. When the Warriors offense is humming, the synchronicity and sharing often shines like it did Thursday night.
Golden State is in the business of building toward the playoffs and this was a fine first step coming out of the All-Star break. The Warriors were a bit sluggish in the first quarter but dominated with a 39-25 second quarter and controlled the game from there. No second-half slippage like they tended to fall victim to heading into the All-Star break.
Sure, Green's absence can lead to some defensive shortcomings in the frontcourt, but he also leaves a huge void on offense as the team's top assist man (7.4 per game). If Curry can continue to pick up the slack as a facilitator that'd do wonders for the Warriors.
"It's incredibly important for your point guard to make the right reads," Thompson said. "It's like a quarterback on the football field. He sees the game better than almost anybody."
Curry finished with 18 points, tying his Splash Brother Thompson for the team high on the Warriors. But it's the 14 assists that should be celebrated by Dub Nation on Thursday night.
