Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry put together a classic performance Saturday night that had head coach Steve Kerr raving afterward,”He’s never played .”
It wasn’t enough to get past Luka Doncic along with also the Dallas Mavericks.
The reduction didn’t stop Kerr or even Doncic from gushing about Curry, who dominated during the match, finishing 19-for-31 from the area and 11-for-19 from beyond the arc at 37 minutes.
“It was ridiculous that the shots he was hitting. The amount of difficulty. The ease with which he made them. He has never played better. We’re referring to a two-time MVP, three-time winner — I have never seen him like this. He just looks so powerful to me.
“He’s always been an incredible shooter, but he looks stronger for me, only getting by people, fending off them on drives to the rim, completing. And needless to say, that the shot-making is practically unfathomable what he’s doing there.”
Doncic placed on a show himself, going 12-for-23 from the field and 7-for-12 from heavy in the victory, however the young guard remains in awe of this performance Curry set on while hitting shots from all around the floor.
“Every time that he took the ball, I thought it was going in,” Doncic stated in a postgame interview with ESPN.
Curry, who two weeks ago passed Reggie Miller for moment on the all-time collection of made 3-pointers, proceeds piling up shooting amounts. Saturday’s performance was the 40th time in Curry’s 12-year livelihood he had 40 points in a match and the eighth time he had at least 50 points.
He also added five assists, two rebounds and two steals on a night after the Mavericks repeatedly threw extra defenders his strategy to attempt to slow his momentum.
When asked about Kerr’s assessment he is playing the best basketball of his career, Curry reiterated that he believes his body is in a fantastic spot because he deals with more defenders every night. He said he thinks he can manage the additional bodies coming his way through this year.
“I feel powerful,” Curry said. “I feel like I got a good rhythm. And obviously, coming off of last year, I’m just enjoying being out there and being healthy. So definitely feel in control of my game, learning together with my team as we continue to try and get better and build some momentum this season. It’s kind of a bizarre year. I am playing well, and we’re getting better as a group; we got to get those wins stacked up and then we can all feel just a little bit better .”
Curry’s scoring outburst comes just over a month later he set a career high with 62 points in a home win on the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 3.
“I really don’t know if there’s a harder man to play basketball right now than Steph Curry,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said,”because of all the various ways he impacts the game and simply his uncanny ability to make shots from everywhere on the floor. It’s easy to get discouraged when a guy’s making 30-foot shots in your face and all that kind of things, and our men just hung in and discovered a way to win it”
Warriors guard Kent Bazemore was specific in his praise after Curry’s 57-point outing.
“Best player in basketball right now,” Bazemore said. “It is unreal. Brad Wanamaker and I were on the bench just cracking up at precisely how, to start with, fortunate we want to find that, and then two, how it’s just so effortless.
“When you are in the warmth of it and a guy doesn’t have any conscience, just pull from 40 feet, it is amazing. It’s amazing. You must be there.”
Curry has long said he feels like every shot he takes will go in; but on nights like these, if most of his shots actually do move in, he understands that it’s hard for any team to stop him.
“It feels great,” Curry said,”especially when, depending on when the defense is guarding you, there were some tough looks. However, for the most part, I managed to see where the aid was coming from and where the displays were coming from — and reach my own spots. So that always is a good feeling when you feel as if you’re in a rhythm and you just need a clean look and things will fall. But you are also able to stay aggressive and not get taken out of the rhythm.
“So it was that type of night — and obviously, wanted to get the win. It is kind of mixed feelings at this time.”