Stephen Curry torches Spurs in lopsided Warriors win
Instead of a back-and-forth clash of the titans between the NBA's two most dominant squads, fans at Oracle Arena were treated to a one-sided drubbing courtesy of their hometown team.
The No. 1 offense in the league collided with the No. 1 defense when the Golden State Warriors (40-4) hosted the San Antonio Spurs (38-6) on Monday night, with the reigning NBA champions making quick work of their biggest roadblock to a second straight title in impressive fashion.
Stephen Curry was on a different level from everyone else on the floor, dropping 37 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including six makes from deep, as the Warriors cruised to a 120-90 victory.
The win snapped San Antonio's 13-game winning streak, and extended Golden State's run of perfection at Oracle Arena to 39 games.
Warriors: now have 3rd-longest home winning streak in NBA history pic.twitter.com/qS0oTxjAdY
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 26, 2016
The Spurs have always acted as an Achilles' heel of sorts to "The Chef," who had just three wins in 16 tries against San Antonio prior to Monday's highly anticipated matchup. With the bright lights on and the basketball world watching, Curry dominated Gregg Popovich's side like he never has before, with his 37 points being the most he's ever put up against the Spurs.
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His status as one of the greatest 3-point marksman the NBA has ever seen was further strengthened during this contest. Curry drained the 1,400th shot from behind the arc of his career, making him the fastest player in history to reach that mark.
5 treys + @StephenCurry30 is now the fastest player in @NBAHistory to 1,400 3PM!
**459th career game tonight #ELIAS pic.twitter.com/0CNhdpTEXc
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) January 26, 2016
It only took 28 minutes of playing time for the 27-year-old to tear apart the Spurs, making it the third time this season he's scored 30 or more points while playing fewer than 30 minutes, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
Stephen Curry Shot Chart vs. Spurs
It's clear the only thing that can prevent Curry from walking away with another MVP trophy is Curry himself. His 30.1 points per game lead the Association, he has 15 games with 35 points or more this season, and his true shooting percentage of 68.2 percent (first in the league) is truly exceptional.
The Spurs will have another crack at Golden State on March 19, giving them time to devise a better strategy for silencing Curry, which is easier said than done these days.