The Golden State Warriors may just be a playoff team if this guy, Stephen Curry, stays that way.
In yet another supernatural performance, the former MVP led the Warriors to a 115-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, improving the team’s record to 5-4.
Curry almost alone eliminated an 85-63 handicap with three minutes left in the third quarter, scoring or assisting 16 of the Warriors’ next 18 points. So, he started doing things like that in the fourth quarter:
He ended up with 38 points and 11 assists, and saved the best for last with this dagger over Paul George:
For the Warriors, Curry’s eruption was more than a welcome sight. It’s the only way they’ve managed to win this year:
The warriors are now 5-0 when Steph scores 30+. 0-4 when he doesn’t
– sam esfandiari (@samesfandiari) January 9, 2021
Bubble-haunted clippers?
The Clippers ended up giving up a 52-20 run after maintaining a 22-point lead, and you can hear the NBA’s Twitter giggles from here.
Many NBA fans will look at the lost lead and, of course, will come to the conclusion of “Same ol ‘Clippers”, with memories of a lost 3-1 lead with multiple Denver Nuggets responses still fresh in everyone’s mind.
After taking a 22-point lead at the end of the third quarter, the Clippers:
– 10 turnover commitments
– Shot 7 of 19
– 14-7 were overcome
– Scored 20 points as a team (3 points out of 3)
– Allowed Steph Curry to score 18 points (4 points out of 3)– Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) January 9, 2021
Of course, those same Clippers (with a new coach and a few new players) have achieved and maintained a double-digit advantage against the same Nuggets this season, as well as against the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers. In fact, this was the first loss of the Clippers’ four this season, in which they led by more than two points at any given time.
But that’s exactly what happens when you have the kind of playoffs that the Clippers just did, especially with the Clippers story, and the choker label doesn’t go away unless the Clippers do something dramatic, which is not going to happen at least until the postseason.
Many teams have lost a 20-point lead this year (especially chaotic thanks to the truncated off-season), but the Clippers will simply have to deal with that familiar narrative when it happens to them.
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