On Wednesday night, the Golden State Warriors were on the second game of a back-to-back set, facing the upstart San Antonio Spurs. The Dubs had been playing uneven basketball as of late, so head coach Steve Kerr decided to mix things up in the starting lineup. Even Stephen Curry and the rest of the team's veterans suited up even though they were coming off a demolition at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.
The first half did not began as intended for the Dubs. They fell behind by 14 as the offense sputtered in the first quarter, and the Spurs were keeping the Warriors at bay for most of the first half. But as Curry has been known to do throughout his career, he can flip a switch with the flick of a finger. Curry caught fire in the third quarter to rescue the Dubs from a 16-point lead.
The Warriors star recorded 22 points on 5-7 shooting from the field (3-5 from deep) and 9-9 from the free-throw line, recording the 41st 20-point quarter of his career, according to the official ClutchPoints account on X (formerly Twitter). Curry remains the record holder for most 20-point quarters in NBA history, as his ability to put points up in a hurry remains unparalleled.
The Warriors certainly recognized the urgency of getting it together, hence the sense of desperation they played with on Wednesday. Golden State has been in the middle of a rut, but Curry's explosion should at least jolt them out of their lethargy and, perhaps, set them on a more promising path moving forward.
When in doubt, Warriors lean on Stephen Curry
In trying times where it feels as though the team is going to down, they should be able to lean on its superstar to pull them ashore. This is what Curry did on Wednesday, as he finished with a season-high 46 points to lead the Warriors to a 125-120 victory over a Spurs team that's re-assuming its place atop the West standings.
Doing this against a deep Spurs team, on the second night of a back-to-back, no less, is further evidence that Curry can still lift his team to great heights — his team simply needs to support him more consistently.
