Golden State superstar Stephen Curry continued his case for a third NBA MVP award as the Warriors thrashed the Brooklyn Nets 117-99.
Curry had 37 points and knocked down nine three-pointers in just 29 minutes of action.
Today’s match was all about Curry and the Warriors taking on superstar and former ally Kevin Durant, who famously won two championships at Golden State before departing for Brooklyn.
The game was extra special with both Curry and Durant making their cases early in the season for league MVP honours. Curry was named as the recent Western Conference player of the week, while Durant had earned Eastern Conference player of the week.
But ultimately it was Curry, who shot 64 per cent (9/14) from three-point range to get one up on his former teammate.
Several of the 33-year-old’s long-range shots came from close to the halfway line.
Curry’s dominance left fans flocking to social media to react as some of the NBA’s biggest voices heaped praise on the Golden State point guard.
https://twitter.com/stephenasmith/status/1460807157037862917https://twitter.com/BenStinar/status/1460804004234080267https://twitter.com/sal_castaneda/status/1460799095178612741https://twitter.com/BASportsGuy/status/1460801855080992768https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1460808905915867137https://twitter.com/MicahAdams13/status/1460810584958586886https://twitter.com/Krisplashed/status/1460778664300355584
“He’s a master at what he does. I’ve been saying that since we came into the league,” Durant said after the game.
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“He’s a crafty player that can do anything off the ball. Cut to the rim, shoot floaters, shoot threes… he can handle the basketball and get to his spots.
“He cares about the game, he loves his teammates.”
The win moves the Warriors to 12-2 on the season, sitting atop the NBA’s Western Conference.
Durant came in leading the league with 29.6 points per game, but he managed only 19, the first time all season he didn’t hit 20. He shot 0-8 in the decisive third quarter and finished six for 19 after sitting the fourth.
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James Harden scored 24 points for the Nets, who came home from a 5-1 road trip and fell flat in the nationally televised matchup that pitted Durant against his former team. He won both meetings last season, his first playing for Brooklyn after leaving Golden State.
But this is a much-improved Warriors team this season and showed it off during a dominant third quarter when they outscored the Nets 35-18 after a close first half.
– with AP
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