With his right arm extended in the air, Stephen Curry held the form of his shooting stroke and, when his clutch 3-pointer dripped through the net, strutted back on defense.
The message was clear: The Warriors have found their swagger.
Curry scored 49 points, the defense set the tone and the Warriors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 107-96 Monday night at Wells Fargo Center.
After Saturday’s disappointing loss to the Boston Celtics that snapped a four-game win streak, Golden State could have teetered into a losing skid as it has so many times this season. Instead, the Warriors (29-29) responded with an all-around effort against the class of the Eastern Conference, perhaps proving that the team’s long-awaited breakthrough is here.
“We need every win we can get and we’ve been playing really well now for the last couple of weeks, and so we’re in a good groove,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “Really good spirit and energy with the team right now. I think the guys feel it. And we’re getting great contributions up and down the roster .”
Although the 76ers (39-18) were without two members of their big three in point guard Ben Simmons (illness) and forward Tobias Harris (knee), they did have center Joel Embiid, who was the focus of Golden State’s defensive game plan.
The Warriors sent well-timed double-teams to slow down the MVP candidate. Embiid finished with 28 points on 8-for-21 shooting, 13 rebounds and eight assists, but he had to work for everything.
With Philadelphia limited to 39.3% shooting and just 15 points in the third quarter, the stage was set for Curry to take over.
Down by two in crunch time, the Warriors turned to Curry, who scored 17 points in the final 4:01, including four 3-pointers, to lead a 19-6 run to close the game. Having now scored 30-plus points for the 11th straight game, this is a stretch unlike any other in the two-time MVP’s career, and he has Golden State rolling.
Curry, who had been listed as questionable with a turned ankle he suffered in Saturday’s loss, went 14-for-28 overall (10-for-17 from 3-point range).
“It’s the same thing after every game,” Kerr said. “It’s just utter amazement at this guy’s skill level, heart, mind, focus. It’s just amazing to watch.”
For weeks, head coach Steve Kerr has been predicting a breakthrough, but balancing rookie James Wiseman’s development with winning games proved difficult. Wiseman’s season-ending meniscus surgery has removed that tight-rope walk, and Golden State — leaning on a veteran rotation — has won six of its last eight games and is 3-1 on this five-game trip that ends Wednesday in Washington.
