Stephen Curry scores 34 points in 23 minutes as Golden State Warriors overtake Denver Nuggets to take control of the series

SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen the curry squared up Monte Morris before overtaking him. After Golden Empire Warriors the star passed Morris, Nikola Jokic still between Curry and the basket. But before Jokic or Morris could stop him, Curry pulled them apart with a spin and ended in a somersault as he fell to the ground.

The Denver Nuggets It’s called the timeout, and when Curry takes to the field, you can read his lips saying three words very clearly: “I’ll be back.”

“[There was a little] My walk and body feel good,” Curry said after the Warriors beat the Nuggets 126-106 on Monday at Chase Center to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. “You take certain shots, it feels a little bit different and more normal and more emotion comes out, especially with that dismissal. It’s a great feeling.”

Maybe the Warriors don’t need Curry to return to his form. They managed well with his quieter night in Game 1, his first game back since March 16. Before Game 2 kicks off, a source told ESPN that the Warriors are hopeful. Curry will start to find his groove but won’t worry if he doesn’t. ‘t. But when he does, it shows what this Warriors team can look like completely healthy and clicking all the towers – like a post-season heavyweight for the first time in many years. five.

With Curry coming on from the bench again and still playing limited to 22 to 23 minutes, he said his goal on Monday was simply to make his minutes count. impact.

Curry ended the night with 34 points, four assists, three rebounds, one save and one assist for a plus of 32.

“Oh my God,” Draymond Green said when he saw Curry’s net rating on the stats sheet.

“He was unbelievable,” Green said. “He kept driving, and I think that broke their defence. Once he did that, you put him in the rock paint that splashed out and flew back in 3 seconds. That’s it. when Steph was at his most dangerous moment – off the ball. The way he got in and tackled our offense, that’s what you’d expect from Steph. … Plus 32 minutes after 23 minutes, it didn’t matter. much better than that.”

Curry shoots 12-to-17 (71%), the highest goal ratio of his playoff career. It’s the first time in his career he’s scored 30 plus points in less than 25 minutes (regular season or knockout), although it’s the 48th time he’s played 25 minutes or less.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone said: “Curry is the sixth greatest player ever to reach the knockout stages.

He continued: “The most dangerous person on the court is the one who just passes the ball, and Steph Curry embodies that. And he’s been doing that for years. He puts the ball up, you relax, and he flies off to another screen, and he makes you pay.”

The Nuggets have faced the same conundrum in the first two games. They want to defend Curry with all their might, maybe even throw two teams his way, which is no wonder. But what do they do about Klay Thompson? And now, they are forced to confront Jordan Poole also.

“The point is, you have three players who are capable of scoring 30, 40 points,” Malone said. “You have three players who can do it on their own, and they do a great job of passing, moving and role-playing each other.”

Thompson finished with 21 points on shot 9/19, while Poole followed his stellar playoff debut with 29 points on 10/16 shot, including 5/10 points of 3, 8 assists and 5 bounces.

Poole joins Wilt Chamberlain as the only two players in franchise history with 25 points in each of the first playoff games of their careers. Poole’s effective scoring rate of 82.8 in his first two playoffs is the second-highest of any player in the clock shot era.

“His game maturity over these three years has been unbelievable,” Curry said of Poole. “As long as he has the confidence in himself to be able to take it up another notch at this stage, that’s incredibly impressive. … It’s not teachable. It’s either you have or you don’t. I so glad he has it.”

Watching how the trio have performed so far in the first round, it’s hard not to think about how the Warriors – namely Curry, Thompson and Kevin Durant – toying with their opponents in the last years of their reign.

That’s all they did with the Nuggets in the middle two quarters on Monday as the game turned completely in favor of Golden State. It’s almost a copy of how they controlled game 1.

The Warriors’ latest small-ball roster – includes Curry, Poole, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Green – sign up on the sixth minute of the second quarter and run together 22-8. In the first two games of the series, that squad overcame Denver 42-14 in 10 minutes.

“It’s two games in a row where you’re in a game, then snap your fingers, you’re out of the game,” Malone said.

On Monday, the Warriors closed the round with a score of 26-8 – 24 points of which were scored by Curry, Thompson and Poole.

Through the first two games of this series, Curry, Thompson and Poole have combined 149 points and are shooting a combined 56% from the field (52-of-93) and 51% from the deep (26-51).

“You’re going to plan the game for Steph and you’re going to be planning the game for Klay, but now you have to plan the game for Jordan,” Green said. “It’s another beast.”

Poole picked up on certain nuances of Curry’s game, particularly the way Curry showcased his looks throughout the Warriors’ attacks, creating space, taking advantage of mismatches, and moves. flexible off the ball.

Teams usually plan to trap Curry but now also have to adjust their defense plans to trap Poole.

“It’s hard to plan against because you have to give up something,” says Curry. “There are just so many options. And for teams to make those decisions quickly, it’s tough, especially when we’re playing fast.”

Curry came on from the bench for the second straight game, and this will continue as long as he is subject to a tighter limit on minutes. Curry was in no rush to get back into the starting lineup, saying it was more important to manage lingering discomfort in his left foot than rushing to start the game.

His teammates support that decision. And with Poole doing what he has, they didn’t feel any pressure to rush Curry. But, when asked who started, Green said it matters. Ultimately, Green said, they need Curry back there. But he was quick to follow up:

“Jordan will probably have to start too. … A big deal to have.”