Warriors bury Wizards 144-122 as Steph Curry scores 51

The world champion Golden State Warriors smoked the visiting Washington Wizards, 144-122 in a game that was entertaining, and effectively over after three quarters of weaponizing joy.

Stephen Curry had a transcendent performance, lighting up the Wizards for 51 damn points, missing his career high by three points. It’s the most he’s ever scored in Oakland. The greatest point guard alive tortured Washington for 15-of-24 shooting from the field, 11-of-16 from three-point range, and made all 10 of his free throws. Kevin Durant joined in on the feeding frenzy for a merciless 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Klay Thompson chipped in 19 points, and Draymond Green dished out 12 assists.

This special night honored the 1975 championship Warriors who defeated the Washington Bullets to win that title. and the current day Dubs rocked some classic-themed jerseys for the tilt.

First Half

Curry hit his first 5 threes, and 7 of first 8 shots. He scored 18 straight points, and finished with 23 points for the quarter. He was obliterating Wizards defenders with vicious crossovers and disrespectful bombs from 30 feet. He looked down right “Unanimous MVP” level.

The Dubs racked up a ridiculous 46 points in the quarter. Beal left the game briefly for an undisclosed injury, and the Dubs took advantage.

But the champs gave up 37 points on the other end in the first frame. Both teams were running the floor with wild abandon, showcasing the athleticism and shot-making abilities of the two squads.

Jordan Bell returned to an early spot in the rotation and put up two monster highlights in the second quarter with the bench unit. First he caught a wild alley-oop jam; later he stonewalled Wall at the rim for a monster block.

The Warriors showcased Durant in the second quarter, and he delivered repeatedly over the smaller Wizards defending him. Unfortunately, the Wizards repeatedly answered with a downhill attack that kept the Warriors defense on it’s heels. The Dubs seemed reticent to get physical and get called for fouls, and the Wiz kept pressure by driving to the paint for layups.

The Wizards finished the half scoring 71 points on 51% shooting from the field. Kelly Oubre Jr. drilled three triples and scored 15 points off of the bench, while Wall chipped in 12 to pace the starters.

That kept them right on the heels of the champs who dropped a mammoth 80 points after two quarters. Curry had 31 points by the half on 10-of-14 shooting from the field. He nailed six of his eight treys, and had 0 fear of the Wizards defense. Durant was no slouch in his own right, ripping his hometown team for 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Thompson had 12 points and Green had 11 assists after two quarters.

Warriors 80, Wizards 71

Second Half

And then the Golden Child, Stephen Curry, decided he had enough of the Wizards having hope.

He unleashed a 20 point third quarter offensive barrage that completely broke Washington’s will. It was simultaneously beautiful and horrifying to watch as he systematically rained hell on them from all over the building.

Curry was hitting circus shots that had Oracle arena howling in derision while the ball was still in the air. Everytime he drilled a bucket, the Oakland fans exhaled with the roaring force of exploding bombs.

If Curry was the Warriors’ haymaker that knocked the Wizards out, Durant was the ambulance that wheeled the poor Eastern Conference denizens directly out of the building. Durant ripped off ten points in the second half, humiliating Wizards players with textbook footwork and ruthless aggression.

Look, we’ve been hearing for years that the Washington Wizards All-Star duo of Wall and Beal were an elite back-court. Whatever. I really just don’t want to hear about these wannabes anymore after the Splash Bros buried them deep in the Bay tonight.

Curry was using them for target practice before sitting out the fourth quarter. Thompson was a pitbull defensively, deftly cutting off Wall’s cannonball drives and exposing his limited game. Wall finished with 13 points on 12 shots, 6 assists, and a -22 in plus/minus in 27 minutes. Beal hero-balled his way to 23 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field, and appeared to be the only Wizard capable of creating his own shot in the second half.

Clearly, Washington needs their center Dwight Howard to return from his butt injury, ASAP!

Moving On

Well damn Steph. Thanks for setting the tone and leading us to 4-1. The champs will play again on Friday in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, the arena where Curry set his career high of 54 points.

I can’t wait to watch all of the talking head shows tomorrow to bask in their reflections on Curry’s performance tonight. Go ahead and insert “Unanimous” at the top of those MVP discussions folks, he’s en fuego!