With several offensive playmakers sidelined and one of the hottest teams in the Western Conference visiting San Francisco on Thursday evening, the Warriors needed an extraordinary performance from their best player to have a chance against the Memphis Grizzlies.
As he so often does, Stephen Curry delivered.
The Warriors needed all of Curry’s 46 points in a 113-104 victory over Memphis that moved Golden State to 26-6, leaving the Warriors only a game behind the top-seeded Phoenix Suns (26-5) in the loss column.
Thursday marked the fifth 40-point performance of the season for Curry and his first game with at least eight three-pointers since November 18 when he matched his season-high with nine in a blowout win over the Cavaliers.
Curry shot 13-of-22 from the field, 8-of-14 from three-point range and matched his season-high with 13 made free throws on 13 attempts. The 13th-year veteran scored 15 of his game-high 44 points in the third quarter while the Warriors turned a one-point halftime deficit into a one-point lead and then added 16 more in the fourth quarter to help Golden State put Memphis away.
Near the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Warriors’ star appeared to land awkwardly on his right ankle while falling out of bounds on an offensive possession. Concerns about Curry’s ankle were only temporary as he remained in the game and drilled his seventh three-pointer of the night with 8:28 remaining to give Golden State a six-point lead.
Golden State was without four of its regular rotation players against Memphis as three players –Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Damion Lee– are in the NBA’s health and safety protocols while veteran wing Andre Iguodala missed Thursday’s matchup with right knee soreness.
The absences required Curry to be on his game, but also paved the way for Gary Payton II to have one of his best performances of the season. Making just his second start of the year, Payton II set his season-high with 22 points and hit 4-of-7 attempts from beyond the arc, including one to give Golden State a five-point lead with a minute left in the game.
The Warriors are off on Friday before returning to action on Christmas Day in Phoenix against the Suns, who entered the day atop the Western Conference with a 25-5 record. Golden State is 1-1 in head-to-head matchups against Phoenix this season as the Warriors ended the Suns’ franchise-record 18-game win streak at the Chase Center with a 118-96 victory on December 3.
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