OAKLAND, Calif. _ Stephen Curry spent Sunday holed up in a Portland, Ore., hotel room battling a stomach flu he contracted from his pre-school daughters. But the bug didn't seem to zap him of his energy or powers.
Curry took Monday off, returned to the practice court on Tuesday and then detonated on his hometown team on Wednesday, going for 39 points in only three quarters, before sitting out the final 12 minutes of a 126-111 Golden State Warriors' blowout of the Charlotte Hornets in Oracle Arena.
This is the latest of what has been a Curry renaissance the past month. By his standards, Curry was quiet in December, averaging only 20.9 points, 15.5 field goal attempts, 42.7 percent shooting and 3.2 made 3s per game in the month, culminating with a quiet, criticized Christmas in Cleveland.
Curry publicly clamored for more offensive control. The Warriors pushed him to be more aggressive. Both sides got their wish in January and Curry returned to form in the recently completed month, averaging a much more Curry-like 27.8 points, 20.5 attempts, 47.9 percent shooting and 4.8 made 3s in 13 games.
His final game of the month came this past Saturday. In a 46-point blowout of the Los Angeles Clippers, Curry erupted for 43 points in three quarters, nailing a halfcourter as one of his nine 3s. It was the most unanimous MVP-like he'd felt all season.
But then news of the illness dropped on Sunday. Curry missed the Portland game and you wondered if the lingering affects of a sickness would cause him to play at least the slightest bit more timid for a game or two, allowing his healthier All-Star teammates to shoulder the load.
It took 23 seconds for him to nix that idea on Wednesday night. With his father, Dell, sitting courtside as the color announcer for the victimized Hornets, Curry uncorked a deep 3 on the game's first possession. Swish.
Then he hit another 3 two possessions later. Then another 3 two possessions after that. The Warriors were up 15-5 before three minutes had elapsed. A couple minutes later, Curry buried another 3 _ his fourth in four attempts _ at the 6:37 mark. The Warriors had 23 points. Curry had 12. The Hornets had nine.
Earlier in the day, the team announced that starting center Zaza Pachulia would miss at least a week with a right rotator cuff strain. JaVale McGee started in his place. The other Warriors starters, who all seem to love tossing lobs to McGee, have played well around him this season.
After spurting to a 29-9 lead before the first sub and outscoring the Hornets by nine to start the third quarter, that Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, McGee lineup is now an outrageous plus-72 in 75 minutes this season.
McGee finished a few lob attempts and didn't look lost on defense, finishing with nine points. But Wednesday night's dominance was captained by the Splash Brothers.
Curry finished the first quarter with 18 points and six assists, scoring or directly handing out 32 of Golden State's 41 points. They ended the quarter up by 20. Then Thompson took over.
Thompson had 11 points of his own in the first quarter, quietly sniping as Curry stole the show. But with Curry on the bench, Thompson popped 13 quick points in the first six minutes of the second quarter and looked on his way to one of those monster nights. But he quieted. Thompson, like Curry, finished the first half with 26 points. But he only finished the game with 29.
Curry remained hot after halftime. He scored 13 points in the third quarter, ending with one of those patented 3-point flurries, nailing a falling 3 in front of the Hornets bench, another one a few possessions later and then a contested wing bomb with 2.4 seconds left on the quarter clock. It was his 11th made 3 of the night on 15 attempts.
It sent Curry to the bench with 39 points in three quarters. He sat out the entire fourth. In the past two games, Curry has combined for 82 points on 29-of-43 shooting. He's made 20 of his 30 threes. He hasn't played a second of the fourth quarter in either game.
Sounds a lot like the past two MVP seasons.
