There continues to be no present in sports activities that fairly measures as much as Stephen Curry on a heater. At 35 years outdated, the Warriors’ celebrity is as electrical as ever, and he was at it once more on Wednesday with 50 factors in opposition to the Clippers.
Still, the Warriors misplaced 134-126 in Los Angeles, dropping their highway report to an embarrassing 7-27. The Warriors have now misplaced 9 straight on the highway, the place they’re 0-21 when trailing after three quarters.
Even writing these numbers, it is virtually unimaginable to imagine. And but, right here the Warriors are nonetheless clinging to the No. 6 seed within the Western Conference, one recreation up within the loss column 7-9 seeds. Not a lot room for error, but when that 6-seed have been to carry for Golden State, it might truly be a blessing in disguise that they dropped this recreation to the Clippers.
As it stands, the Warriors would match up in opposition to the No.3 Grizzlies within the first spherical as a substitute of the Suns. That stated, Golden State nonetheless has 12 video games left, which appears like a season in itself with how intently packed the Western Conference standings are coming into play on Thursday.
The Warriors cannot be regarding themselves with strategic seeding. They have to win each recreation they will to remain above the play-in line, or frankly, even get into the postseason in any respect. They’re solely two video games within the loss column from a lottery spot, and now it appears like they’re going to should play with Draymond Green in opposition to the Hawks on Friday, the second cease on what could possibly be a season-altering five-game highway journey.
Green was whistled for his sixteenth technical foul of the season on Wednesday. Unless the league rescinds it, that is a one-game suspension.
This means Curry may have to go on one other heater on Friday to offer the Warriors a shot to win their first highway recreation since January. Don’t rule it out. This man has been on hearth just about since 2013, and the pictures he was hitting on Wednesday have been as soon as once more of the “you’ll be able to’t be severe” selection.
I imply, what is that this?
Curry went completely nuclear with 21 factors within the third quarter, the forty fourth 20-point quarter of his profession. Just sit again and luxuriate in this 35-year-old freak present turning yet one more NBA area right into a theatre of the absurd.
Curry has now scored over 10,000 profession factors on 3-pointers alone. It’s his second 50-point recreation of the season and the twelfth of his profession, which is tenth all-time. Seven of these 50-pieces have come after turning 30 years outdated, which is yet another than Michael Jordan and tied with Wilt chamberlain for essentially the most all-time.
And the craziest half? Just two of Curry’s factors got here on the free-throw line. This is the anti-James Harden. This is pure, lift-the-people-to-their-feet buckets. Curry completed 20 of 28 total, together with 8 of 14 from 3. What he can do with a basketball in his fingers is completely ridiculous.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Curry can not dominate a recreation defensively or on the boards, the place the Clips murdered them on the offensive glass on Wednesday. Steve Kerr performed small with Jonathan Kuminga and Green because the “bigs” down the stretch, they usually could not end possessions with a board. The Clippers acquired second shot after second shot, which was an excessive amount of for a Golden State defensive unit already stretched skinny.
No Andrew Wiggins is an enormous downside for the Warriors, who’re making an attempt to outlive with the likes of Curry, Jordan Poole and Donte DiVincenzo guarding Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, after which making an attempt to dam out Ivica Zubac on prime of it. Russell Westbrook beat the Warriors to a number of offensive boards that led on to buckets.
If Wiggins would not come again for the playoffs, Kerr might need to contemplate closing with Kevon Looney. But first issues first: Golden State has to make the playoffs. A decent as this race is, they might find yourself anyplace from No. 4 to the lottery and it would not be a shock. Somehow I doubt Curry goes to allow them to fall all the best way out, however as we noticed on Wednesday, there’s solely a lot one man can do.
