Stephen Curry had the hot hand from the start and the Warriors picked up their 11th straight win with Sunday’s 139-115 win over the Wizards.
GAME LEADERS
The two-time reigning MVP scored or assisted on the team’s first 23 points, setting the tone for a 42-point, eight-assist effort in which he shot 15-for-22 from the field and 9-for-14 on 3-pointers. Klay Thompson knocked down four treys of his own during a 23-point evening and Draymond Green tallied his fifth triple-double of the season and 19th of his career with 11 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds.
The Dubs outscored Washington by at least five in each of the four quarters, all of which saw the Warriors score at least 32 points. Golden State shot 56.2 percent from the floor, 16-for-36 (44.4 percent) on threes and had 34 assists on 50 made baskets. It was the Dubs’ franchise record 48th game with at least 30 assists, which is three times as many as any other team in the league.
But the story of the game was Stephen Curry. And it wasn’t just that he scored 40-points in wildly efficient fashion, but how he did so. Curry put together a number of you-need-to-see-this-again type plays, beginning in the first quarter.
Curry’s magic continued with a flurry in the second quarter …
And even more ridiculousness in the second half:
Alas, it wasn’t just the Curry show. After knocking down three treys in the third quarter, Thompson helped fend off a Washington run to open the fourth quarter with another bucket and Shaun Livingston was brilliant with 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting.
Livingston’s strong game was part of another outstanding bench effort for the Dubs, whose reserves outscored that of the opponents (51-47) for the 10th straight game.
Also indicative of the team’s success was Draymond Green. The Dubs improved to 19-0 when Green tallies a triple-double (in his career), and this one became official late in the fourth quarter when he netted a 3-pointer.
With the win, the Dubs improve to 63-14 and bring their magic number down to three, meaning the Dubs need a combination of three wins and Spurs losses to clinch first place in the West. They’ll have a chance to lower that on Tuesday when they wrap up their three-game homestand against the Timberwolves.