Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has run out of words to describe Stephen Curry‘s greatness after his marvelous near triple-double carried them to a pivotal 104-93 win in Game 3 without Jimmy Butler.
“Whatever I’ve said the last 11 years after every one of these games, just copy and paste,” Kerr told reporters after the Warriors snatched a 2-1 series lead against the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets on Saturday.
Curry took all the Rockets’ best blows, then fought back with 36 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
His 3-pointer with three minutes left in the fourth quarter knocked the Rockets out cold. Pressed to elaborate on Curry’s brilliance more than just the “copy and paste” comment, Kerr relented to the press.
“To play 41 minutes against that kind of defense, to have a slow start and then find his rhythm, which we have seen him do countless times over the years, to hit big shots, to only turn it over twice against that kind of pressure, he was brilliant,” coach Steve Kerr said.
Warriors Star Bucks Slow Start
The Rockets kept Curry in check, limiting him to only two points on 1-of-4 shooting in the opening quarter. Houston opened a 13-point lead in the first half with Curry struggling to find his rhythm without Butler, who sat out with a deep glute muscle contusion he sustained in Game 2.
Then Curry came alive and scored in a flurry. He had 13 points in the final 7:26 of the first half to cut the Rockets’ lead down to 49-46.
It was all the Warriors needed to get their bravado back, and they smothered the Rockets in the second half.
Draymond Green was no longer surprised by Curry’s toughness.
“He’s always been mentally tough,” Green told reporters. “He’s even more mentally tough now.”
Curry unloaded 21 of his points in the second half as he and the Warriors found little opening for him from the Rockets’ brutal defense.
“It is physically taxing because you’re handling the pressure on the ball,” Curry told reporters. “You’re trying to read where the big is, where certain driving gaps might be or where the pass is. So you’ve got to be locked in — mentally, physically, emotionally. Be patient, knowing that if it doesn’t happen early, it’s a 48-minute game. And I do pride myself on endurance, to be able to finish as strong as you might start and feel as good in the fourth quarter as I do in the first quarter.”
Kerr said Curry is one of the most “well-conditioned” athletes he’d seen.
Curry had nine points and five assists in the fourth quarter, where the Warriors outscored the Rockets 35-22 for the crucial win.
Butler Celebrates Curry, Roasts Hield in IG Post
Butler, who watched from the bench, was more than relieved the Warriors found a way without him. Playing true to his new “Robin” character to Curry’s “Batman,” Butler made a comic book celebratory post on Instagram.
“Thanks Batman and team. Excluding Buddy Hield,” Butler wrote.
Hield has become the butt of jokes of Butler.
Their playful back-and-forth has made the Warriors’ highly-stressful playoff push more fun.
Butler was on Hield’s ears during the game and he responded with 17 points off the bench, a signature moment for the veteran journeyman in his first season with the Warriors.
“Robin was out tonight, so I had to step up,” Hield said. “Terrible. Terrible advice. I just tuned him out the whole time. Nah, he’s been good, he’s been positive, he’s been telling me how to read drives…He’s talking, encouraging everybody. Especially when Draymond Green got a tech, he was letting everyone know that was good for our team.”
