Curry triple-double highlights Kerr’s return to Warriors sidelines
The Golden State Warriors welcomed head coach Steve Kerr back to the sidelines Friday night the only way they know how — by controlling a contest behind a tremendous performance by Stephen Curry. The second-year head coach returned to full duties to see the MVP favorite and newly named All-Star starter in top form. It’d be more remarkable if Curry weren’t making these kinds of performances an everyday occurrence.
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Curry posted his second triple-double of the season with 39 points (11-of-19 FG, 8-of-15 3FG), 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in the Warriors’ eventual 122-110 victory over the Indiana Pacers. It was a typically thrilling Curry performance, full of breathtaking shots only he would take and endless creativity.
One shot stood above all the others. With the first-half clock running down, Curry nailed this half-court shot to give Golden State a 64-51 lead at the break:
It was even more amazing given that he made a longer heave to end the first quarter. Unfortunately, that one came too late to count:
The Warriors added another buzzer-beater to finish the third quarter, although this one was much, much uglier. Leandro Barbosa attempted to score but put up an airball. Andre Iguodala handled cleanup duties to send the hosts into the final period up 88-75:
The Pacers deserve credit for hanging around against a team that crushed both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls on the road earlier this week, but they never really threatened to hand the Warriors a loss. Rookie center Myles Turner continued a very impressive run with a career-high 31 points (12-of-17 FG) off the bench, but Indiana shot only 3-of-20 from beyond the arc. That’s no way to trade baskets with Golden State, which went 14-of-33 from deep.
The Warriors are idle until Monday’s home test against the San Antonio Spurs, winners of 13 in a row and still somehow only two games behind a team on pace for the best record in NBA history. The first matchup of the season between these apparent juggernauts marks the first time that teams with winning percentages over 85.0 have met this late in the season. Get excited.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
