Two of the top five teams in the NBA this season faced off in a nationally televised spot on Tuesday evening, with the Brooklyn Nets welcoming the Golden State Warriors to Barclays Center. By tip-off, the Nets were actually narrow betting favorites but, by the fourth quarter, Golden State held a commanding lead and sent quite a message in what became a 117-99 victory. While there were many headlines to take away from a notable road win, Steph Curry, as usual, was the center of everything for the Warriors.
The Nets held a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter, based on a 34-point showing and well over 50 percent shooting. Curry kept the Warriors close with 12 points and that was just the start. With help from Andrew Wiggins and an improving defense, Golden State took a halftime lead, with Curry posting 19 points before halftime and putting constant pressure on Brooklyn’s defense.
Draymond finds Steph for another three
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— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 17, 2021
Curry is HOT from downtown
This is his fourth 3PT of the quarter pic.twitter.com/1xzjiCozjk
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 17, 2021
In addition to the genuine brilliance of Curry’s performance, the first half was also noteworthy in that he received MVP chants. That happens often in San Francisco but, this time, it occurred on the road in a game that featured another top-flight candidate in Kevin Durant.
MVP chants for Steph in Brooklyn
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— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 17, 2021
Golden State then broke things open with a dominant third quarter, out-pacing the Nets by a 35-18 margin. The Warriors were dominant on both sides of the floor, holding the Nets to just 23 percent shooting in the third period, and Curry kept it going on the offensive side.
Curry is heating up again
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— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 17, 2021
With a 22-point lead, the Warriors had things in hand, but if there was any doubt, Curry erased it with an on-brand shooting barrage early in the fourth quarter. Before exiting early as a result of the lopsided margin, Curry buried three more three-pointers, sticking the dagger in this blowout win.
Range = limitless
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— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 17, 2021
This is getting ridiculous, Steph
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— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 17, 2021
He even hit one that didn’t count right before he checked out, much to the delight of the fans.
The Barclays crowd was cheering for Steph to shoot and go for 40. He held off but gave them one for the road. pic.twitter.com/Ptp5ZGlJyX
— DeAntae Prince (@DeAntae) November 17, 2021
All told, Curry finished with 37 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. He connected on nine of his 14 attempts from three-point range, as well as 3-for-5 from two-point range and 4-for-4 at the free throw line, and Curry certainly cemented a very early lead in the MVP race along the way. There should be credit given to Draymond Green and Golden State’s defense but, in a marquee matchup, all eyes were on Curry and he delivered.
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