Stephen Curry walked off the court to a last chorus of “MVP! MVP!” chanting, which he himself felt was strange.
After all, this is Kevin Durant’s home court.
Curry, on the other hand, had the night off.
The Golden State Warriors upset the Brooklyn Nets 117-99 on Tuesday, with Curry scoring 37 points in a duel of the NBA’s top two scorers when Durant had his worst night of the season.
Curry was pumped about a rematch with a former teammate, as well as the chance to avenge a setback in Charlotte on Sunday.
“It’s not the playoffs,” Curry explained, “but there’s an intensity that you have to show up with to beat a team like that.” “You thrive in a competitive environment when you know there’s a lot of skill on the court.”
Durant entered the game as the league’s leading scorer with 29.6 points per game, but he only tallied 19, his lowest point total of the season. He went 0 for 8 in the crucial third quarter and completed the game with a 6 for 19 shooting percentage after sitting out the fourth.
“They have lengthy defenders who can assist, so seeing bodies all the time when I have the ball is what great defenses do.” “And then there were a few shots I wish I could have gotten back,” Durant added. “Once we were down to 15, 20, I rushed a few.” I’m trying to get it back as soon as possible, therefore I’m taking terrible and hasty photographs.”
Curry made nine 3-pointers and increased his average to 28.7 points per game, almost catching his old teammate for the NBA scoring title. Durant’s rating has slipped to 28.9.
Draymond Green, the previous Defensive Player of the Year, played a big role in his problems.
“I was looking for that challenge,” Green said, adding that he did “very well” with it.
He was far superior to that.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr stated, “You can’t do a better job defensively than Draymond did tonight.”
Curry went 12 for 19 overall, with supporters clapping and chanting “MVP! MVP!” as he made deep jumpers as Durant and the home side struggled.
The Warriors, who increased their NBA-best record to 12-2, got 19 points from Andrew Wiggins.
