Warrior Wonder: Stephen Curry leads Warriors to dominant win over Thunder

Curry reminds everyone why he’s a two-time MVP by scoring 33 points as the short-handed Warriors get the blowout road win.

Picking the best Warriors player from Saturday night’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder is a challenging task as there are quite a few good choices. You could easily make a case for Klay Thompson, who scored points while also playing stellar defense on Russell Westbrook (the 2017 MVP scored just 7 points while going 2/16 from the field), There’s also a case to be made for either DeMarcus Cousins or Draymond Green, both of whom played well on both ends of the court while having to contend with the Thunder’s big man, Steven Adams. But in my mind, the correct answer is perhaps also the easiest—Stephen Curry.

After a few less-that-stellar games (by his lofty standards, of course), Curry gave a MVP-like performance against the Thunder. Curry scored a game-high 33 points on Saturday night, the most he’s scored since that awful road loss in Orlando at the end of February.

It was a high-volume shooting night for Curry, as he attempted 23 shots (he’s averaging just under 20 shot attempts per game this season). But Curry attempting more shots was to be expected with Kevin Durant missing this game as he nurses that sore right ankle. The Warriors needed some extra offense with Durant out of the lineup and Curry gave them that.

Locked in from three-point range

Even though his field-goal percentage wasn’t as good as it could be on Saturday night, (he went 10/23 from the field), Curry was efficient from three-point range. Curry went 5/12 from long distance against the Thunder, those three-pointers playing a big role in the Warriors earning this blowout win. In terms of shooting percentage, it was Curry’s best game from three-point range since that home loss to the Houston Rockets on February 23rd.

One of those three-pointers came on this shot at the end of the second quarter, part of a 13-3 Warriors run over the final four-and-a-half minutes of the second quarter that allowed them to go into halftime with an 18-point advantage.

Curry shows off his ball handling and his quickness

Curry’s ball-handling skills were also on display against the Thunder. On this first-quarter play, Curry completely turns Markieff Morris around, crossing him up before making a step-back three-pointer.

You have to wonder, through the powers of twin telepathy, if Marcus Morris felt the shame and humiliation of being put on ice skates like his brother was on Saturday night.

Curry’s movement without the ball was also quite impressive. Curry’s willingness to run through screens and keep moving even though he’s being hit and bumped is key to the Warriors being successful.

You see that on this play from early in the game, the fact that Curry keeps moving during the play allows him to both get the ball and command the attention of the defense, leaving Andre Iguodala open for a dunk.

Curry’s movement without the ball often leads to open looks for him as well, like on this three-pointer midway through the third quarter that put the Warriors up by 20 points.

In addition to his 33 points, Curry also grabbed seven rebounds, handed out three assists, and came up with two steals. Perhaps more importantly, Curry had just four turnovers against the Thunder, a team that is known for forcing teams to give up the ball.

Joining an exclusive club

There was a little bit of history for Curry in Saturday night’s game. Curry scored his 16,000th point against the Thunder, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Paul Arizin, and Chris Mullin as Warriors players in that exclusive club.

Curry crossed the 16,000-point threshold in the first quarter on this layup that put the Warriors up by 14 points.

Giving the Warriors everything they needed on offense (especially with Durant sitting this game out) and for joining the 16,000-point club, Stephen Curry is my pick for the Warrior Wonder in this impressive win over the Thunder.

As I said in the beginning of this piece, there were no shortage of deserving candidates for Warrior Wonder in Saturday night’s win over the Thunder. So I ask you all, members of Dub Nation, who was your Warrior Wonder for this impressive win?

Let us know in the comments below!