Steph Curry scores 34, leads Warriors to 120-109 victory over Pistons

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Detroit Pistons 120-109 on Monday night. It was an ugly showing from the Warriors, who barely squeaked by a lottery team that was missing several rotation pieces. Nevertheless, the Dubs will take the win early in the season

While the Warriors had their entire rotation available on the second half of a back-to-back, Golden State seemed to be feeling the effects of two games in a 48-hour span throughout. The Pistons jumped out to a lead early in the first quarter before Steph Curry began heating up.

Curry continued making a strong early-season case to be the odds-on MVP favorite. He finished with a game-high 34 points and +17 plus/minus. He was the only player on either team with more than 21 points.

The Dubs bench did provide some offensive punch to help Curry out. Chris Paul tallied 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists in just over 21 minutes of action. Dario Šarić and Jonathan Kuminga also scored double-digit points off the bench. Gary Payton II and Moses Moody had plenty of positive contributions as well.

A trio of Pistons youngsters, Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes, and Ausar Thompson carried Detroit for most of the contest. Cunningham recorded 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. The usually inefficient shooting Hayes was 8-for-11 from the field (3-for-4 from three) with 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists. Thompson racked up 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 steals.

A flurry from Steph gave the Warriors a two-possession lead with seven minutes left in regulation, and Golden State finally was able to buckle down and put the Pistons behind for good.

The Warriors still have one game left on their road trip. They will head to Denver for an exciting matchup against the reigning champion Nuggets. Opening tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM Pacific.