SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry waved, greeted adoring fans, shots off the basket again and again and screamed in celebration — it's not rubbish.
Curry hit a counter-overtake three-pointer with 56.8 seconds left in the game, followed just a minute before 30 feet, and he enjoyed every point of his 45-point home opener, which gave the Golden State Warriors a 115-point victory over the Los Angeles Clippers by 113 points on Thursday night.
The NBA defending estrangist even had a key rebound with 36 seconds left in the game, then calmly converted a pair of free throws with less than 5 seconds left in the game to score 8 points in the final 1 minute 54 seconds.
After the game, fans cheered for Curry until he finally disappeared into the aisles.
"Stephen Curry is just Stephen Curry, never been like him," coach Steve Cole said. "The last two three-pointers are ridiculous... I was still blown away. ”
“MVP！” The slogan began late in the first quarter, and by the time the whistle blew to end the initial phase, Curry had already topped the first two nights' total with 25 points on 9-of-9 shooting and five three-pointers as the Golden State Warriors established a 44-27 lead.
Curry shot 16-of-25 from the field and 8-of-13 from the field for 10 rebounds.
On Tuesday, the two-time MVP shot 5-of-21 — 8 — on Tuesday night in the Lakers' first away win of the season, which he called "garbage."
"You know Stephen, when he doesn't shoot well, he always comes back strong," Kerr said.
Damien Lee hit a three-pointer with 5:55 left in the game to score 11 points off the bench, while Andrew Wiggins had 17 points and six rebounds.
Paul George had 29 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the Clippers' season opener, and Eric Bledsoe had 22 points. Los Angeles counter-attacked with a 19-point trail in the second quarter to take a 67-66 lead into the half while taking advantage of the Warriors' mistakes.
Curry, 33, who was named one of the NBA's best 75 players of all time earlier in the day, was dazzled in his first home game of his 13th NBA season after picking up the microphone before kickoff and thanking fans for their support. And be patient through the coronavirus pandemic and welcome them back to the Chase Center.
He returned with 7:43 left in the second quarter, hit another jumper, and missed a three-pointer at 4:55.
"Back at the Chase Center, it's going to be a fantastic season," Curry told the crowd before kick-off, adding, "Can't wait to welcome Klay Thompson back." ”
Draymond Green withdrew in the third quarter and missed six of his seven free throws with a right wrist injury but later returned to the dressing room.
"His response was beautiful," Kerr said.
It was a new start for the Warriors, who lost to Memphis in the game because they finally had fans at the start of the season. The sold-out crowd marks the first full-load regular season game since March 2020.
"Two years ago was such a strange season, with all the injuries and brand new venues. It does seem weird," Cole said. "Last year the whole world was weird. It felt like a fresh start. ”
Clippers: George received a technical foul 2:21 minutes before halftime. ...... The Clippers were in charge of possession, making just seven mistakes while taking advantage of the Warriors' mistakes. ...... Last season's three-point shooting percentage reached the highest lakers in the team's history, and last season's three-point shooting rate was 41.1%, and the first half shot 6 of 16 and 14 of 40.
Warriors: Curry scored 25 points in the first quarter, setting a career high in the single quarter. ...... Golden State made 21 turnovers, six from Curry and seven from Poole, Jordan. ...... Striker Andre Iguodala received renewed warm applause when he was introduced before the game and on his first signing at the end of the first quarter. The 37-year-old Iguodala helped the Golden State Warriors win the 2015 championship and signed a one-year contract as he became NBA Finals MVP and two other champions. ...... Thompson is recovering from surgery to repair a tear in his right Achilles tendon and hopes to race in late November or early December.