Nobody goes off like Stephen Curry. Even when the Wizards managed to pry the ball loose and create some chaos, Curry found a way to nail a three. That's the kind of night it was for the Warriors superstar, who racked up 51 points in one of the most impressive shooting displays you'll ever see.
Curry bounced back big-time from a poor effort at Madison Square Garden during his D.C. follow-up Wednesday night. The point guard recorded his second 50-point game of the season and tied a career high by hitting 11 three-pointers. Golden State won 134-121 despite an impressive 41-point, 10-assist effort from John Wall.
Curry shot 19-of-28 from the field and 11-of-16 from three-point range against Washington. With 11 triples on the night, Curry was just one away from tying Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall's single-game record of 12 made three-pointers. He hit some amazing shots to get that close to the mark, which was within distance for much of the fourth quarter.
It's almost impossible to stop Steph once he gets hot like this:
Wall and the Wizards' other perimeter defenders did an admirable job trying to cover Curry at times but simply couldn't contain him. Steph's ability to find space and fire up a quick three is unparalleled. Even when you think he's beaten himself by taking a challenging shot, he'll prove himself right by making it.
The 27-year-old got going early. With 25 points in the opening quarter, he's scored 20-plus points in a period on seven different occasions this season, per ESPN Stats & Info. No other player has recorded more than two 20-point quarters. Curry has scored 28 points in a quarter twice this season.
Sometimes when Curry gets this hot it's difficult to do anything but marvel at his brilliance. Steve Kerr joked after Steph's monster first period that the point guard would get benched for a minute or two because he was shooting too much.
Curry never did stop shooting. Even with Wall having one of his best games of the season, the Warriors' leading man was always ready to match. There were highlights beyond the three-pointers, too. He got loose on one fast break and made a challenging left-handed finish despite having a defender crowding over him:
This is what happens when the game's most electric shooter finds his groove. You'll get beat beyond the three-point line, and then at the rim while you're trying to take away those long-distance shots. There's no real way to win for the defense, which is how you end up giving up 51 points to one player and 134 points to his team.
Curry scored just 13 points on 5-of-17 shooting in New York and shot 38 percent over the three games leading up to Wednesday. So I guess you could say he was due. It was bad news for Wall and the Wizards all night.
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