Even in his 17th year in the NBA at the ripe old age of 37, the Stephen Curry show remains the greatest show in the league, and maybe in all of sports. The two-time MVP was electric in Golden State's narrow but much-needed 109-108 win over the San Antonio Spurs to secure their first win in the NBA Cup group stage.
Curry finished with 49 points on 9-of-17 from deep, his 44th 40-point game after turning 30 years old, which ties him with Michael Jordan for the most 40-point games in NBA history after turning 30. They needed every one of those points to handle Victor Wembanyama, who wreaked havoc with 26 points and 12 rebounds.
With Golden State down one, Curry knocked down two free throws to take the lead with 6.4 seconds left. On the subsequent possession, the Spurs set up a play to get De'Aaron Fox going downhill. But Fox missed a heavily contested mid-range fader when Golden State switched Gary Payton II onto the All-Star guard.
It was one of those kinds of wins that feel like they mean more. Sure, with Curry going toe-to-toe with Wembanyama, the game took on a special air. Size versus shooting. Youth versus age. One franchise near the end of its dynastic run, and another looking to kickstart its era. Shades of Paris and the Gold Medal game and flat-out high-intensity basketball.
But it was also a game the Warriors absolutely needed. After a disaster earlier this week in Oklahoma, in which Golden State was left questioning its identity, they responded with two huge wins against one of the hottest teams in the league. Here are three observations from the Warriors' necessary win in San Antonio to take them to 8-6 on the season.
Gary Payton II is still relevant in this rotation
Payton's fallen a bit in Steve Kerr's rotation. With the emergence of second-round rookie Will Richard, who continued his strong play with 10 points, two steals, and a block, Payton's been playing second fiddle off the bench when Kerr's turned to defense and shooting.
And with other players like Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody already capable of doing what Payton does best, his minutes have been more expendable early this season.
But Golden State needed every single one of Payton's minutes in this win over the Spurs. Along with his defense on Fox on the final possession, Payton hit two critical threes late in the fourth quarter to chip at the Spurs' lead. After the game, Kerr talked about GP2's two-way impact.
“It feels different when Gary's playing the way he has the last couple of games,” Kerr said when asked about Golden State's defensive improvements, forcing 20 Spurs turnovers.
“We're giving him those minutes to pressure the ball but also to contribute to the overall defense. He's a great defender, and he obviously had a couple of huge threes.”
Kerr's rotation will always remain fluid for players not named Curry, Draymond Green, or Jimmy Butler. But if Payton's able to defend at a high level and hit the open jumpers, defenses will give him, which is what he was able to do during the Dubs' 2022 title run, he'll play.
Golden State goes back to a tried-and-true lineup
If these past two games have taught us anything, it's that the Warriors are at their best with Green at the small-ball five. Yes, they can play him next to Al Horford and Quinten Post, and they'll need to in certain matchups. But the Dubs are at their best when they opt for speed, shooting, and versatility, and this game proved it.
When it mattered the most, Kerr turned to the Curry-Podziemski-Moody-Butler-Green five-man group, their most efficient lineup last season during their 23-8 run to close the 2024-25 regular season. In 211 minutes, they boasted a 120.6 offensive rating, 104.2 defensive rating, and a +16.4 net rating.
Golden State has used this lineup this season sparingly as Kerr tinkered and experimented with a number of lineups. But with quite literally no one capable of standing a chance against Wembanyama, Kerr went with what he knows best– Green at the five, three versatile defenders, and Curry running the offense. And it worked — Green bothered Wembanyama and Curry went for close to 50 points.
Kerr has had his reasons to be hesitant with this lineup. For one thing, he wants to limit the wear and tear on Green battling seven-footers for 82 games straight. And there were some lineups with Kuminga next to Green and Butler in the frontcourt he wanted to see through, lineups that showed promise, albeit with some clunkiness, hence the rotation change.
Golden State's still searching for its go-to lineup. But it's noteworthy that Kerr went with this group, given the stakes of this game.
We need to appreciate the greatness of Steph Curry
You can't take these kinds of Curry games for granted. You just can't. Stars rarely age this gracefully. LeBron James is an anomaly. Tom Brady was an anomaly. And Steph Curry is one of those anomalies. Golden State will never have another guy who can drop three triples in under a minute. The league will never have another guy who can bomb 30-footers after 30-footers.
What that spells for the Warriors moving forward this season will be a big question mark. Even for Curry, it's not sustainable to drop 95 points over the course of two games. And if Golden State needs that output to stay afloat in the race out West, they'll never gain ground. For as well as Butler, Green, and the rest of the Dubs played, the Dubs will need more to keep winning.
After the game, Curry talked about a conversation Kerr had with the team about everyone's roles, making a rare comparison to his days on the Chicago Bulls with Jordan.
“You can tell [Kerr] still has that fastball if he needs it,” Curry smiled while talking to reporters. “It's important for us to have that energy. And you know, over the course of 82, we're all in this fight together. He showed it out there. And whether you win or lose, like you just want to have a unit and a team that's together.”
Curry recounted how Kerr compared the Dubs to a band. A band needs its lead singers, it needs a bass, the acoustic, the drummers, the stagehands, and even “the guy that's plugging in the speakers.” It all matters, Curry made sure to emphasize.
When asked what kind of lead band singer Curry himself is, he wouldn't go into specifics, but for a night like this one he answered with one of his favorites.
“I was Hayley Williams from Paramore tonight.”
Curry and his band of Warriors will look to continue their momentum in New Orleans.
