Stephen Curry is among the most dangerous players in the NBA. But an angry Curry proved to be more lethal.
The Golden State star took out his frustrations this morning on the Los Angeles Clippers after being called for a technical foul with 9:08 remaining in the fourth quarter.
He scored 11 of his 33 points after that technical foul as the Warriors extended their winning streak to eight with a 105-90 victory.
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“It was just an accumulation of all types of weird stuff. All that led into where I thought I got a foul,” said Curry, who also had a season-high six steals to go with five rebounds and six assists.
“It definitely fired me and the team. After that, it was time to direct my energy into putting the ball in the basket.”
Curry lost his temper when he didn’t draw a foul while driving to the basket after it appeared Clippers guard Terance Mann made contact. Coach Steve Kerr said he figured Curry was going to get a technical foul when he saw him go toward the official and pump his fist.
“That was as upset as I’ve seen him and that I have been in a long time. He clearly got fouled,” Kerr said.
“When he knows he got fouled on a play like that and he doesn’t get the call the competitor will come out in him and he will lose his mind a little bit. But it will spur him like it did in this instance.”
Curry’s response after the technical foul drew a tonne of reaction from NBA media as well as current players, who lauded the point guard’s ability to put his focus back into his shooting.
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Golden State had a 79-70 lead when Curry’s outburst happened, but they would put it away afterward with a 21-7 run during a nearly five-minute span. Curry made three 3-pointers during the spurt, and applied the dagger shot with an off-balance triple from the right corner with 5:20 remaining.
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Otto Porter Jr. added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Poole scored 17 points for the Warriors. They improved their NBA-best record to 18-2 heading into a showdown Tuesday night in Phoenix against the streaking Suns — 17-3 after winning 16 straight.
Paul George led Los Angeles with 30 points, and Eric Bledsoe and Marcus Morris added 13 apiece. The Clippers came into the game with wins in eight of their last 10 home games.
The Clippers played the Warriors tough in a 115-113 loss during the opening week of the season, but they could not keep pace this time in the second half. A big reason was a season-high 25 turnovers that led to 31 Golden State points.
“We’ve been talking about it for, I guess, the whole season — just taking care of the basketball. If we turn the ball over against this team, they’re gonna make you pay,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “I guess out of our turnovers, 13, 14 were bad turnovers. We got to do a better job with our decision-making … we’re just not making the right play right now.”
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