In a game billed as a showdown between Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, the Warriors superstar reigned supreme Tuesday night. By the end of the game, while Durant watched helplessly on the bench, the crowd in Brooklyn egged Curry to shoot the ball every time he touched it.
Curry settled for 37 points after catching fire in the fourth quarter to lead the Dubs to a massive 117-99 road win over the Brooklyn Nets. He finished 12-of-19 from the floor and 9-of-14 from 3-point land.
Fans showered Curry with 'M-V-P' chants and you could hear them chanting 'WAAAAARRRRRIORS' in the arena.
"It was definitely weird," Curry said of the cheers in Brooklyn. "It's fun for us. We appreciate the support. It's nice to have that energy around us traveling like that. You keep winning and good things happen."
Curry also drew the support of Charlotte's home crowd on Sunday when he revisited his home town.
"It's amazing," Andrew Wiggins said. "Sometimes we go on the road as the away team and they're cheering for us. I guess that's the perk to having Steph on your team."
You have to wonder if Curry’s new substitution pattern is helping him take advantage of other team’s second units.
In the five games since Warriors coach Steve Kerr started altering Curry’s playing substitutions, he is averaging 35.2 points per game, up from his season average of 28.7. Durant (28.9 points per game) remains the NBA’s leading scorer, but Curry is right behind him. Curry has splashed at least nine 3-pointers in three of the past five games as well.
Curry helped put the game out of reach by orchestrating a 9-0 run early in the fourth quarter -- a time when he used to be on the bench with his old substitution patterns. He knocked down a couple of 3-pointers while assisting Damion Lee on an and-one attempt.
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Curry also started off the game hot by knocking down his first four 3-pointers of the game and bringing his shimmy energy to Barclays.
When asked what makes the Warriors' league-leading offense (115.2 points per game) so special, both Draymond Green and Kerr had a simple answer: Steph.
"There's never been anybody like him," Kerr said. "He's an offense just by himself."
Curry is also putting together an impressive defensive campaign this season and it continued as he locked down Harden during one play in the second quarter.
We keep saying it, but Curry is at the peak of his powers in Year 13. The 12-2 Warriors have their swagger back.
