Charlotte Hornets broadcaster Dell Curry told his son before Wednesday night’s game, “do not ruin my night.”
“He didn’t make any guarantees,” Curry said with a smile.
Actually, Stephen Curry ignored his father altogether.
The reigning MVP scored 40 points in three quarters and the Golden State Warriors easily defeated the Hornets 116-99 to extend the best start in NBA history to 20-0.
On a night when the Hornets honoured Dell Curry, the franchise’s career scoring leader, with a “key to Buzz City,” it was his oldest son who stole the spotlight by hitting 14-of-18 shots from the field and going 8-for-11 from three-point range.
Stephen Curry, who grew up in Charlotte and starred at nearby Davidson College, scored 28 points in the pivotal third quarter, including his team’s final 24. He hit 10-of-11 shots from the field, including all five threes – many from well beyond the arc and in the face of a defender – to help the Warriors build a 21-point cushion.
He sat out the entire fourth quarter due to the big lead and didn’t get a shot to break his career high of 54.
“It was a cool atmosphere to play in, especially on top of my dad’s ceremony,” Stephen Curry said. “It was nice to be out there at half-time and hear his speech and stand with my mom, my sister, my aunts and my grandma. It was a good night. I can’t ask for more. To play like I did and get the win was special.”
He said the 20-0 start to the season seems surreal.
“It doesn’t even sound right,” he said. “In the NBA, with so many good players and good teams, to be able to put on a run like this is special. We don’t always play our best but we find ways to win. That’s the strength of our team. Every night a different guy might step up and have a huge game and do the little things that don’t show up in the stat sheet.”
Nicolas Batum led Charlotte with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Klay Thompson had 15 of his 21 points in the first quarter as the Warriors bolted to an early 15-point lead.
Despite missing the inside presence of centre Al Jefferson – out at least two weeks with a strained left calf – and 0-for-8 shooting from Kemba Walker in the first half, the Hornets fought back to cut the lead to 60-51 at the break.
But midway through the third quarter Curry got rolling, launching deep three-pointers, several times turning and jogging back down court well before the ball even went through the net.
Curry hit jumpers from 24, 25, 30, 29 and 30 feet in the third period.
“When he’s feeling it and shoots the ball, he’s already running to the other end of the court,” Warriors interim coach Luke Walton said. “He knows the ball’s going in before the rest of us. He’s doing an amazing job of picking his spots. He’s in his hometown and he’s the best player in the league and he wants to put on a show.”
It marked the fourth time this season Curry has scored 40 points by the end of the third quarter. The rest of the NBA combined has reached that mark just once.
Curry has six 40-point games already this season.
“Nobody has had an answer for him for two years now,” Batum said. “You try to make him work hard, but I don’t think we’ve seen anybody shoot like him – that’s pretty impressive. You have to make him work hard and hope he misses and have a bad day.”
Elsewhere in the NBA
Los Angeles Lakers 108, Washington Wizards 104
Kobe Bryant scored 12 of his season-high 31 points in the fourth quarter of his final game in Washington to help Los Angeles beat the Wizards.
Julius Randle had 15 points and a career-best 19 rebounds for the Lakers (3-15), who snapped a seven-game losing streak. Jordan Clarkson added 18 points as Los Angeles finished a stretch of four games in five days.
Bryant played 36 minutes in his second game since announcing his plans to retire after this season, his 20th in the NBA. He left the Verizon Center floor to thunderous applause from what remained from a crowd of 20,356, Washington’s third sellout of the season.
John Wall had 34 points and 11 assists for Washington, who lost a day after beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road. The Wizards have dropped four of five despite erasing an early 19-point deficit.
Toronto Raptors 96, Atlanta Hawks 86
Kyle Lowry scored 22 of his season-high 31 points in the fourth quarter, DeMar DeRozan added 17 and Toronto rallied from 17 down in the third to beat Atlanta.
Lowry overcame flu-like symptoms that forced him from the game in the second period. He returned to begin the third, but didn’t build momentum until the fourth when Toronto outscored the Hawks 39-20.
The Raptors, who have won five of six, scored just 32 points in the first half. Lowry’s three-pointer made it 80-75 and he hit a fast-break layup to make it 82-75 with 4:54 remaining.
Paul Millsap scored 14 points for the Hawks.
Indiana Pacers 103, Los Angeles Clippers 91
Paul George had 31 points and 10 rebounds, and the streaking Indiana Pacers broke open a close game early in the fourth quarter to beat injury-depleted Los Angeles for their sixth consecutive victory.
Rodney Stuckey scored 18 points and Jordan Hill had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Pacers, who have won 12 of 14 after opening the season with three straight defeats. Their only losses during that stretch were by four points at Cleveland and one at the Chicago Bulls.
The victory was the 2,000th in Pacers history, spanning 40 seasons in the NBA and nine in the ABA.
Blake Griffin and Lance Stephenson each scored 19 points to lead the Clippers, who had won three in a row. They shot 38 per cent, their second-lowest mark of the season.
Los Angeles played without all-star point guard Chris Paul, a late scratch due to a strained rib muscle. Paul is expected to miss more than one game, according to coach Doc Rivers.
Clippers guard JJ Redick sprained his right ankle on the first possession of the game. He made two free throws but was soon removed and did not return.
San Antonio Spurs 95, Milwaukee Bucks 70
Tim Duncan had 16 points and 10 rebounds in 19 minutes, and San Antonio remained undefeated at home by beating Milwaukee.
The Bucks set season lows for points and field goal percentage (33.8) in falling to 2-8 on the road.
San Antonio (15-4) improved to 10-0 at home while extending their overall winning streak against the Bucks to seven games.
Patty Mills had 13 points and Kawhi Leonard also scored 13 on 3-of-12 shooting for the Spurs.
Khris Middleton had 16 points for the Bucks.
Houston Rockets 108, New Orleans Pelicans 101
James Harden scored 24 points and Houston overcame a double-digit deficit against New Orleans.
Anthony Davis had 29 points and 13 rebounds for the Pelicans, who dropped their fourth straight. They led by 14 early, but the Rockets whittled down the lead by half-time and led by two after three quarters.
New Orleans led by one after a three-pointer by Toney Douglas with about 9 minutes left. Houston then used a 10-0 run, with the first five points from Harden, to make it 96-87 just 4 minutes later. The Pelicans had three turnovers and missed eight shots to help the Rockets pull away.
Harden’s three-pointer made it 99-92 with 3:13 left.
Chicago Bulls 99, Denver Nuggets 90
Pau Gasol had 26 points and 19 rebounds to lead Chicago over struggling Denver.
Gasol shot 12-for-19 from the field and had his fifth consecutive double-double for the Bulls, who won for the third time in four games and improved to 7-1 at home. Jimmy Butler, playing through a lingering right heel contusion, scored 19 points in 39 minutes.
Derrick Rose finished with 12 points on 3-for-17 shooting.
Will Barton scored 16 points and Kenneth Faried had 14 points and nine rebounds as Denver lost their eighth straight. The Nuggets, who shot 39 per cent from the field, led 72-68 heading into the fourth quarter.
Detroit Pistons 127, Phoenix Suns 122 (overtime)
Reggie Jackson scored 24 of his 34 points after half-time, and Detroit rallied from 16 down in the fourth quarter to beat Phoenix.
Andre Drummond, the worst free throw shooter in NBA history, hit a pair from the line with 14.3 seconds left to tie the game at 112, and Eric Bledsoe missed an off-balance jumper at the buzzer.
The Pistons started overtime with an 8-1 run, but Phoenix narrowed the gap to 122-120 with 1:27 to play. The Suns had chances to tie it in the last 35 seconds, but PJ Tucker was called for an offensive foul and TJ Warren missed a contested layup. Brandon Knight missed a three-pointer that would have tied it.
Phoenix played without Tyson Chandler (hamstring) and Markieff Morris (bruised knee).
New York Knicks 99, Philadelphia 76ers 87
Kristaps Porzingis had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead New York over the Philadelphia 76ers, who played without suspended rookie Jahlil Okafor.
A night after winning for the first time this season, the 76ers suspended their leading scorer after the release of a second video provided details of his fight in Boston he hadn’t revealed to them.
Arron Afflalo added 13 points for the Knicks, who snapped a four-game skid. Carmelo Anthony, back after missing a game with an illness, scored 12 points and shot 5-for-16.
Philadelphia were 9-for-30 on three-pointers.
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