Stephen Curry didn’t just carry the Warriors past the Heat on Friday night - he also spent part of the postgame unpacking two very different battles from the 120-100 win.
Curry finished with 29 points, four assists, one rebound and one steal in 28 minutes, and his night flipped after a rough opening half. He went 2-10 before the break, then caught fire in the third quarter and finished 7-9 in the second half. Overall, he shot 9-19 from the field and 6-12 from three to pace Golden State’s offense.
Miami came out fast and grabbed a 10-point lead before the game was five minutes old, but the Warriors steadied things and went into halftime tied 53-53. From there, Golden State took over, pouring in 38 points in the third quarter and eventually stretching the margin to 20.
One of the first questions Curry got afterward was about how the Warriors handled Giannis Antetokounmpo, who got off to a quick start. Curry pointed to the work done by Draymond Green and Al Horford and said the plan was straightforward.
“Exactly what we expected,” said Stephen Curry about how Draymond Green and Al Horford executed the Warriors’ defensive strategy to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo. “Just keep a body on him; he’s going to have the ball a lot. Just keep applying pressure at the rim.”
“But at the same time, they were able to keep a good front line, while we kept trying to help on the backside to keep the driving lanes tight, closed off.”
“He got started pretty quickly, but those are the shots you want him taking. You don’t want him coming downhill, getting to the basket, and then kicking out for threes,” Curry added.
Golden State’s defense held Antetokounmpo to 20 points, 14 rebounds and four assists. He shot 7-13 from the floor and 1-5 from deep.
Curry was also asked about facing Klay Thompson, his former teammate, and whether there had been anything in the group chat with Green and Thompson. His answer leaned into the strange, familiar feeling of going head-to-head with someone he’s shared so much with.
“I just texted Draymond Green after the game and told him, Killer Klay, it’s always good to see him having fun. Obviously we wanted to come in and shut his water off tonight, but honestly it’s a surreal feeling; it’s always going to be that way because we have gone through so many battles together,” Stephen Curry said on his defensive matchup with Klay Thompson.
“And it’s cool to be able to guard him; he still uses some of the same pet actions. You’ve been on the other side of it for so long, so there’s a sense of appreciation there. But mainly it’s just an excitement of the fact that we’re still getting to battle at this age.
“You know every one that you get is one step closer to the end, so enjoy it while you can. So we each try to appreciate, but obviously that competitive spirit is there,” Stephen Curry concluded.
Curry spent most of the night guarding Thompson, and the Warriors kept him quiet: 11 points, three assists, 3-10 shooting from the floor and 2-7 from three. Thompson did not play in the fourth quarter.
The result pushed Golden State to 6-3 after a six-game winning streak. The Warriors are back in action against the Magic on Saturday night, November 7. Miami dropped to 3-6 and sits tenth in the East, with the Kings up next on Sunday night, November 8.
The teams will meet again on January 17.
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