Stephen Curry: Spurs Are The Standard
“He inspired me from the jump”.
Curry’s eighth 3-pointer of the game provided the crowning blow after the Pacers had gotten as close as six in the fourth period.
The defending champion Warriors made the announcement Friday morning that Kerr would coach Golden State against IN at Oracle Arena, where the Warriors will try to win their 38th straight regular-season home game to tie the 1985-86 Celtics for third place on the all-time list for such unbeaten streaks. It was a typically thrilling Curry performance, full of breathtaking shots only he would take and endless creativity. Elfrid Payton contributed 11 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
The 48-footer that came before halftime gave the Warriors a 64-51 lead.
“Steph hits half-court shots all the time in practice”, Kerr noted.
Said Curry: “I felt pretty confident in the second one just because I had already done it once”. The Warriors (98.8) and Pacers (98.9) entered the game ranked second and third, respectively, in fewest points allowed per 100 possessions.
The Warriors host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.
The Spurs have a +15.4 Efficiency Differential compared to +12.1 for the Warriors.
Interim head coach Luke Walton, who admirably led Curry and the champs in Kerr’s absence, will return to his spot as top assistant and is sure to attract attention as a head coaching candidate immediately when openings emerge. “I really missed the routine”, Kerr said. “The only difference tonight was me leading the huddle instead of Luke”. “We didn’t play to our standard tonight”.
Kerr received a standing ovation before the game and responded by mouthing a “thank you”.
“It’s a huge honor and something I’m very appreciative of, because it’s 100 percent because of (the fans)”, Curry said.
Golden State has 10 triple-doubles this season – Draymond Green has the other eight – to match a franchise record set in 1959-60.
That play – and Curry’s persistence – neatly sums up Golden State’s 122-110 win over the Indiana Pacers, with Steve Kerr returning to the Warriors’ helm for the first game this season.
Kerr’s first surgery to fix a ruptured disc was in late July then he required a follow-up procedure in early September.
Curry and Thompson had 15 points apiece in the half, including a 3-pointer each in a 16-2 flurry over a 3:04 stretch that opened a 25-8 lead in the game’s seventh minute.
Also on Friday night, Curry was voted in as a starter for the 2016 Western Conference All-Star Team. That’s the most impressive thing.
The outcome was hardly a surprise as the Golden State Warriors held serve at home against the Indiana Pacers, but for the Pacers to look at this game as something of a lost opportunity may come as one.