The Warriors on Sunday night delivered sharp disagreements to some opinions that heated up the court of public opinion, reminding everyone that Steph Curry is wonderful at basketball and Steve Kerr is not a one-note coach.
Curry scored 62 points, the highest record of his career – the highest total ever in the brief history of the Chase Center – and the Warriors recovered from an embarrassing loss to Portland on Friday with a 137-122 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers (3-2).
The Warriors (3-3) benefited from a simplified offense that depended heavily on Curry’s ability to break defenses and score in pick-and-roll situations while also utilizing his unique relocation skills.
Four other Warriors scored double digits, led by Andrew Wiggins’ 21 points.
Here are three lessons from Golden State’s most impressive performance this season.
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Acquisition of Curry
Curry wasted no time putting his mark on the game, scoring 21 points in the first quarter to put the Warriors at an advantage they never lost.
He spent the night scoring from all three levels, driving in the paint to the floats, draining mid-range shots and, of course, punishing Portland from a distance. His 62-point night came in 18 of 31 shootings, including 8 of 16 in the background.
To make sure, Curry added five rebounds and four assists. He was over-20 in 36 minutes.
However, not everything was good news for Curry, as a free throw lost in the first quarter ended his streak of consecutive strokes at the 80 line. He settled for 18 of 19 on the line.
Energizers everywhere
Curry’s first fireworks elevated his teammates to higher and more sustainable energy levels than seen at any time this season.
Draymond Green, playing for the second time this season, looked more like his typical personality, influencing the action at both ends of the court and even involving Damian Lillard in a “debate” that resulted in double technical fouls.
Kelly Oubre Jr.’s level of effort (with 17 points, the best of the season) was good, but it went up a bit more. Wiggins brought passion at both ends. Kent Bazemore, Damion Lee and Eric Paschall left the bank chasing everything that moved while finding some buckets.
The result was a vastly improved defense, especially in the beginning, and the Warriors playing at a level that they maintained to become a winning team.
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Cleaning the glass
For the first time this season, the Warriors picked up more rebounds than their opponent, posting a 60-51 lead.
A little statistic for one night, a giant leap to improve your chances of winning.
Instead of an individual channeling Andre Drummond and inhaling the value of a week of rebounds, it was a team effort, with eight different Warriors picking up at least three. Bazemore was eight and Wiggins was seven.
James Wiseman reached his career record with 11 points, which together with 12 points gave him his first double-double in the NBA.