Stephen Curry celebrates his 27th birthday by blowing out the Knicks
Stephen Curry turned 27 years old on Saturday. The Golden State Warriors’ superstar point guard got a few very cool gifts, like this birthday cake shaped like the trophy he received after winning the Three-Point Shootout at All-Star Weekend last month:
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… and a special, festive birthday-themed edition of his Under Armour signature sneakers, titled the “Splash Party” Curry One:
… and, of course, the greatest gift any professional basketball player could receive right now — a home game against the woeful New York Knicks.
And yet, as the action got underway at Oracle Arena on Saturday, Curry seemed less interested in receiving gifts than in giving them to Warriors center Andrew Bogut. Here, ya big Aussie, have a behind-the-back pass for a dunk:
Heck, while we’re at it, how about a hook pass for an alley-oop finish? Steph’s treat:
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But while the Warriors started loading up the highlight reel early, the matchup between the teams with the best and worst records in the NBA got off to something of an unexpected start, as New York rode the backcourt of Langston Galloway and Alexey Shved to a 27-26 lead at the end of the first quarter. The universe righted itself at the start of the second, though, as Golden State’s second unit — Andre Iguodala, David Lee, Shaun Livingston, Marreese Speights and Justin Holiday — ripped off a 12-0 run to put the Warriors in front. They’d never trail again.
With coach Steve Kerr reinserting his starters into the lineup as the frame wore on, the Dubs would inflate the lead in the home stretch of the second quarter. After a 2-for-7 start to the game, Curry began to find his rhythm, thanks in part to the Knicks’ hapless defense and in part to on-time feeds like this behind-the-back dish to the corner by Livingston:
With the Warriors leading by 20 in the closing seconds of the quarter, Bogut broke out his present for his point guard — a home-run inbounds pass that led to a halftime-buzzer-beating 28-foot triple that blew the roof off of Oracle and capped a 45-point second quarter and 73-point first half for the home team:
It’s always nice to get gifts from your teammates, but sometimes, it’s even better to make like Tom and Donna. Treat yo self, Steph, with English:
Not to be outdone, the ever-thoughtful Knicks gave Curry the opportunity to enjoy the gift of his adoring public by first giving up the basketball and then giving chase just hard enough to send him into the stands at Oracle:
Curry, thankfully, was none the worse for wear after his header, and with the Warriors holding a staggering 111-73 lead after three quarters, his services weren’t required for the final 12 minutes. Neither, for the matter, were those of any of his fellow starters, as a reserve-filled final stanza put an all-over-but-the-shoutin’ end to Golden State’s 124-95 domination of the visiting Knicks.
The birthday boy finished with 25 points on 8-for-15 shooting, including a 6-for-10 mark from 3-point land, to go with 11 assists, three rebounds, three steals and just one turnover in 27 minutes of playing time as he turned 27. For the final word on just how good he was, we turn to the ever-quotable mom of Warriors forward Draymond Green:
Splash Brother Klay Thompson led the way with 27 points (9-for-17 from the field, 6-for-10 from 3) in 25 1/2 minutes for the Warriors, who improved their best-in-the-West mark to 52-13, and now boast a 29-2 record within the friendly confines of Oracle Arena.
Andrea Bargnani scored 18 points to lead five players in double figures for the Knicks, who fell to 13-52 and now, at long last, can start thinking about the lottery:
Oh, well. At least you helped make a nice young man happy on his birthday, Knicks. That’s got to count for something.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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