With Steph Curry Looking Like An MVP Again, The Warriors Are Still Dominant

The Golden State Warriors have officially righted the ship in the absence of Kevin Durant, and that was evident before the team took the floor against the Washington Wizards on Sunday. After all, Steve Kerr’s had already rattled off ten consecutive victories to reclaim the perch as the top team in the NBA. But after a whirlwind 48 minutes of play, the Warriors left absolutely no doubt about who was the better team on the floor in Oakland in a 139-115 victory.

While it was certainly a team effort for the Warriors, reigning back-to-back NBA MVP Stephen Curry had the biggest say coming in the form of a highlight-filled evening that also stuffed the stat sheet. Curry got his day started with a preposterous ball fake before knocking down a three in Marcin Gortat’s face.

That long-distance connection was one of nine three-pointers for Curry on only 14 attempts, and the All-NBA guard led the Warriors in scoring with 42 points. Curry also converted six of his eight shot attempts inside the arc for a total shooting performance of 15 makes on 22 attempts, and his ball-handling and playmaking were also on full display.

In fact, Curry was far from “only” a scorer in this particular game and it showed in many ways. Golden State’s leading man dished out eight assists against only one turnover, and the prettiest of them all came on a first-quarter fast break in tandem with Draymond Green.

While this was Curry’s fourth 40-point performance of the 2016-2017 season, this one felt particularly noteworthy given the level of competition. From wire to wire, the Warriors dominated a playoff-bound team in Washington. For all intents and purposes, Curry and his team were operating on a different parallel than that of their opponents. That may not seem jarring, but considering Washington’s status as a top-four team in the East, it was a clear message from the prohibitive title favorites.

Klay Thompson did Klay Thompson things, Shaun Livingston was excellent off the bench, and as a team, the Warriors scored at a dynamite clip of 131.8 points per 100 possessions against the Wizards on Sunday evening. In the midst of it all was Stephen Curry, though, and the reigning two-time MVP looked a lot like the player that he was “supposed” to be throughout this season.

Imagine just how terrifying the Warriors will be when Kevin Durant returns. Prayers up for the rest of the NBA.