Stephen Curry was the driving force behind the Golden State Warriors’ 137-131 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Stephen Curry scored 42 points, including six 3-pointers, in a game that went into overtime. He had some great moments, especially late in the fourth quarter.
But to win, they had to overcome a historic performance from the Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon, who scored an unprecedented 50 points.
Aaron Gordon was very efficient, shooting 81% overall and sinking 10 of 11 three-pointers.
After the game, Curry shared his reaction to Gordon’s explosive night, specifically detailing the Warriors’ attempts to adjust the defense by utilizing veteran Al Horford.
“Aaron Gordon had an unbelievable night shooting the ball, so we tried to leave him with some sense of size. And Al (Horford), we played against him over the years and saw that again,” Curry said.
“He’s a pretty good switcher from 1 to 5. It allows us to be a little more versatile defensively and keep one guy on the ball without having to do crazy rotations,” he added.
Despite not being able to stop Gordon, the Warriors’ defensive adjustments helped slow down the Nuggets’ offense overall.
Denver exploded for 70 points in the first half, but was held to just 50 points in the second half.
Curry also revealed that the key to the Warriors’ victory, aside from his own great performance, was offensive efficiency and ball safety.
“Obviously they scored some points, but on the other hand, we were really decisive in getting to our position. And we only had eight turnovers in one game, one in overtime,” Curry explained.
“And even if you decide to shoot up, you don’t give yourself easy baskets in transition, especially against a team like Denver, and you give yourself a good chance,” he added.
The combination of a solid, adaptable defense and an efficient offense with minimal turnovers proved to be the key to the Warriors’ 2-0 start to the season against two of the Western Conference’s strongest contenders.
And it seems their path to victory is not yet closed.