Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry honored his father with an explosive third-quarter performance, while Kobe Bryant took his farewell tour up another notch in a pair of key contests on Wednesday.
Curry watched at halftime as his father, former Charlotte Hornets star Dell Curry, was featured in a ceremony, then followed up with a 28-point third quarter as the Golden State Warriors easily defeated the Hornets 116-99.
Bryant, who announced three days ago he is to retire at the end of the regular season, rattled in the go-ahead jump-shot with 30 seconds left in the fourth en route to a 108-104 win over the Washington Wizards.
Photo: AFP
Golden State’s victory extends the Warriors best start in NBA history to 20-0.
Curry dominated in the key third quarter and had Golden State in such complete control that he sat out the fourth quarter.
“It was special,” he said of the ceremony for his father, who is the franchise’s all-time scoring leader. “I got to come out and see my dad’s halftime ceremony and hear his speech. I might have got a little inspiration from that.”
This was a homecoming for Stephen Curry, who grew up in Charlotte and played high-school and college ball there. He finished 14-of-18 from the field and eight-of-11 from three-point range.
He had just 12 points at halftime, and then erupted in the third quarter, scoring the Warriors’ last 24 over the final 4 minutes, 55 seconds of the period. He hit four three-pointers in the final 1 minute, 53 seconds of the third and finished with a game-high 40 points.
“I am just playing with confidence,” he said. “I feel like I am a better player than I was last year. I am just staying in the moment. There is a lot to be said about being 20-0, but we aren’t satisfied.”
The 20-0 start for the Warriors is the longest streak to open a season in NBA history.
“It is surprising to me because the league has been around a very long time and nobody has done what we are doing. We are proud of it,” Curry said.
Golden State roared to a 28-13 lead halfway through the first quarter then stretched it to 26 in the second half. The Warriors also got 21 points from guard Klay Thompson, including 15 in the first quarter.
A Bryant field goal capped a season-high 31-point performance and helped snap the Lakers’ seven-game losing skid.
“It has been a long season to say the least. It felt good to get one,” Bryant said.
The 37-year-old Bryant scored 18 points in the first half and 12 in the fourth quarter.
Washington served as the second stop on his farewell tour. For much of this season, it appeared the five-time NBA champion’s shooting touch had disappeared.
It was like a giant hand reached up and turned back the clock on the 20-year veteran, who showed off some vintage moves, including pull-up jumpers and fadeaway field goals, with the sell-out Washington crowd of 20,300 applauding.
“It is surreal,” he said of the cheering on the road. “To get this respect is amazing.”
Bryant entered his lone appearance in Washington shooting 30.1 percent from the field. He finished 10-of-24, including four-of-11 from beyond the arc.
However, most importantly for Bryant, he still had something left in the tank in the fourth quarter with the game on the line.
“I feel really good right now,” he said. “I have pushed it hard in training. What I try to do is stay loose during the game and move as much possible so I don’t stiffen up.”
In other games, it was:
‧ Hawks 96, Raptors 86
‧ Pacers 103, Clippers 91
‧ Spurs 95, Bucks 70
‧ Rockets 108, Pelicans 101
‧ Bulls 99, Nuggets 90
‧ Pistons 127, Suns 122, OT
‧ Knicks 99, 76ers 87
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