REIGNING LEAGUE MVP Steph Curry honoured his father with an explosive third quarter performance last night.
Curry watched at halftime as his father and former Charlotte star Dell Curry was featured in a half-time ceremony, then followed up with a 28-point third quarter as the Golden State Warriors easily defeated the Hornets 116-99.
Golden State’s victory extends the Warriors best start in NBA history to 20-0. Curry dominated in the key third quarter and had Golden State in such complete control that he sat down for the fourth quarter.
“It was special,” he said of the ceremony for his father, who is the franchise’s all-time scoring leader.
“I got to come out and see my dad’s halftime ceremony and hear his speech. I might have got a little inspiration from that.”
This was a homecoming for Stephen Curry who grew up in Charlotte and played high school and college ball there. He finished 14-of-18 from the field and eight-of-11 from three-point range.
He had just 12 points at halftime, and then erupted for 28 third-quarter points, including the Warriors’ last 24 over the final 4:55 of the period. He hit four three-pointers in the final 1:53 of the third and finished with a game-high 40 points on the night.
“I am just playing with confidence,” he said. “I feel like I am a better player than I was last year. I am just staying in the moment.
“There is a lot to be said about being 20-0 but we aren’t satisfied.”
The 20-0 start for the Warriors is the longest streak to open a season in NBA history.
“It is surprising to me because the league has been around a very long time and nobody has done what we are doing. We are proud of it,” Curry said.
NBA Results – Wednesday
- Golden State Warriors 116 @ Charlotte Hornets 99
- LA Lakers 108 @ 104 Washington Wizards
- Phoenix Suns 122 @ 127 Detroit Pistons (OT)
- Philadelphia 76ers 87 @ 99 New York Knicks
- Toronto Raptors 96 @ 86 Atlanta Hawks
- Denver Nuggets 90 @ 99 Chicago Bulls
- New Orleans Pelicans 101 @ 108 Houston Rockets
- Milwaukee Bucks 70 @ 95 San Antonio Spurs
- Indiana Pacers 103 @ 91 LA Clippers
