Steph Curry usually ushers opponents to sleep with clutch shots in crunch time and then unleashes his patented “night night” celebration.
But he’s also bringing it on the other side of the court.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr praised Curry’s defensive effort following Golden State’s 120-109 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday at Little Caesars Arena.
“I liked our defense down the stretch. We got a bunch of stops,” Kerr said after the game. “We couldn’t get a rebound. But Steph’s on-ball defense was fantastic. I think he’s so underrated on that end. Everybody tries to go at him for good reason to try to tire him out.”
With about five-and-a-half minutes to play, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham drove to the basket and made a layup to trim the Warriors’ lead to two at 103-101. But Curry and Golden State locked in defensively and outscored Detroit 17-8 the rest of the way to claim the team’s fifth road win.
“Steph is a really good defender,” Kerr said. “His on-ball defense down the stretch was one of the keys [in the win].”
Curry shined bright offensively, too. In 33 minutes, the 35-year-old logged 34 points on 12-of-26 shooting with four assists and two rebounds. He nailed seven 3-pointers, becoming the first NBA player in league history to drain at least four treys in eight straight games to start the season.
Curry and the Warriors continue their long road trip Wednesday by visiting the defending-champion Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. The superstar guard won’t be tested defensively against Nuggets star Jamal Murray because Denver coach Michael Malone said Monday he will miss extended time due to a right hamstring strain.