SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry squared Monte Morris up earlier than crossing him up. After he made it previous Morris, Nikola Jokic met Curry in between the basket. However earlier than Jokic or Morris might cease him, Curry cut up them on a spin extra and completed with a layup as he crashed to the bottom.
Denver known as timeout, and as Curry made his approach down the courtroom, you might d his lips saying three very clear phrases: “I am f—ing again.”
“(There was slightly) pep in my step and the physique felt good,” Curry mentioned after the Golden State Warriors beat the Nuggets 126-106 to take a 2-0 lead of their first-round playoff sequence. “You make sure photographs, feels slightly bit totally different and extra regular and extra emotion comes out, particularly with that layoff. It was a pleasant feeling.”
Maybe the Warriors did not want Curry to be again in that kind. They managed simply tremendous with him having a quieter evening in Sport 1 — his first recreation again since March 16. Forward of Sport 2, a supply instructed ESPN that they have been hoping Curry would begin to discover his groove, however wasn’t involved if he did not. However when he did, it gave a style of what this Warriors group can appear like totally wholesome and clicking on all cylinders.
What they confirmed: They appear like a severe contender within the postseason for the primary time in years.
With Curry coming off the bench once more and nonetheless taking part in below a 22 to 23-minute restriction, he mentioned it was his objective on Monday to easily make his minutes impactful.
Curry completed the evening with 34 factors, 4 assists, three rebounds, one block and one help for a +32 web ranking.
“Jesus,” Draymond Green mentioned when he noticed Curry’s web ranking on the stat sheet.
“He was unbelievable,” Inexperienced mentioned. “He simply stored driving and I believe that broke their protection. As soon as he did that you’ve him into the paint kicking out and flying again off for threes, that is when Steph is at his most harmful — off the ball. The way in which he got here in and settled our offense, it is what you count on from Steph … To be plus-32 in 23 minutes, it does not get significantly better than that.”
Curry shot 12-17 (71%) from the sector, the very best subject objective proportion of his playoff profession. It is the primary time in his profession he scored 30+ factors in fewer than 25 minutes (common season or playoffs) though it was the forty eighth time he performed 25 minutes or much less.
“Curry is the best sixth man ever within the playoffs,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone mentioned.
He continued: “Essentially the most harmful man on the ground is the man who simply handed the ball, and Steph Curry is the embodiment of that. And he is been doing it for years. He offers the ball up, you calm down, and he is flying off one other display screen, and he makes you pay.”
The Nuggets have confronted the identical conundrum by way of the primary two video games. They wish to defend Curry arduous, perhaps even throw a double-team his approach, which is not unusual. However what do they do about Klay Thompson? And now, they’re pressured to confront Jordan Poole as nicely.
“The issue is, you’ve got three gamers which are able to placing up 30,40 factors,” Malone mentioned. “You may have three gamers that may get it on their very own they usually do such a terrific job of passing, transferring and making performs for one another.”
Thompson completed with 21 factors on 9-of-19 taking pictures whereas Poole adopted up his stellar playoffs debut with 29 factors on 10-of-16 taking pictures, together with 5-of-10 from 3, eight assists and 5 rebounds.
Poole joined Wilt Chamberlain as the one two gamers in franchise historical past with 25 factors in every of their first two profession playoff video games. Poole’s 82.8 efficient subject objective proportion by way of his first two playoff video games is the second-highest of any participant within the shot-clock period.
“The maturation of his recreation in these three years has been unbelievable,” Curry mentioned of Poole. “Simply his confidence in himself to have the ability to take it up one other notch at this stage, it is extraordinarily spectacular … That may’t be taught. That is one thing you both have or you do not. I am glad that he has it.”
Watching the way in which the trio has carried out to date within the first spherical, it is arduous not to think about the way in which the Warriors — particularly Curry, Thompson and Kevin Durant — toyed with their opponents through the latter years of their dynastic run.
It is all they did with the Nuggets for the center two quarters on Monday when the sport utterly shifted in favor of Golden State. It was virtually a duplicate of how they took management of Sport 1.
The Warriors’ latest deadly small-ball lineup — comprised of Curry, Poole, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Inexperienced — checked in on the 6-minute mark of the second quarter and put collectively a 22-8 run. Over the primary two video games of the sequence, that lineup has outscored Denver 42-14 in 10 minutes.
“That is two video games in a row if you’re in a recreation, then snap of a finger, you are out of the sport,” Malone mentioned.
On Monday, the Warriors closed the half on a 26-8 run — twenty-four of these factors have been scored by Curry, Thompson and Poole.
By way of the primary two video games of this sequence, Curry, Thompson and Poole have mixed for 149 factors and are taking pictures a mixed 56% from the sector (52-of-93) and 51% from deep (26-of-51).
“You are going to recreation plan for Steph and you are going to recreation plan for Klay, however now you have to recreation plan for Jordan,” Inexperienced mentioned. “That is a distinct beast.”
Poole has picked up sure nuances of Curry’s recreation, notably the way in which Curry will get his appears all through the Warriors’ offense, creating house, profiting from mismatches and transferring fluidly off the ball.
Groups typically plan on trapping Curry, however now should revise their defensive plan to entice Poole as nicely.
“It is arduous to recreation plan in opposition to as a result of it’s a must to give one thing up,” Curry mentioned. “There’s simply lots of choices. And for groups to make these choices on the fly, it is troublesome, particularly once we are taking part in quick.”
Curry got here off the bench for the second consecutive recreation, and this may proceed so long as he’s below a tighter minute restriction. Curry is not in any explicit rush to get again into the beginning lineup, saying that it is extra essential to handle the lingering discomfort in his left foot than rush to begin video games.
His total group helps that call. And with Poole performing as he has, they are not feeling any strain to hurry Curry both. However, when requested if it issues who begins, Inexperienced mentioned it does. Finally, Inexperienced mentioned, they want Curry again on the market. However he had a fast observe up:
“Jordan’s most likely going to have to begin, too … Nice drawback to have.”