Stephen Curry began his 16th NBA campaign against the Portland Trail Blazers tonight. The Golden State Warriors star was stepping into the unknown in the NBA season opener, taking the floor for the first time without his Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, in nearly 14 years.
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The opening night was not kind to Steph. He played 17 minutes in the first half, scoring eight points, going 1/7 from the field and 0/4 from 3s. However, he turned it around in the second half. More so in the third quarter, where Curry played eight minutes, scoring nine points, and went 3/3 from 3s.
Even though Curry’s shots weren’t going in as much, he contributed in other ways. He made plays for his teammates, recording 10 assists. With nine rebounds, he narrowly missed out on a triple-double. Curry had active hands on defense, recording two steals (there were a few more deflections as well).
Curry ended the night with three 3-pointers to his name.
Steph Curry Stats against Trail Blazers (Oct 23rd, 2024) | |
Minutes | 25:04 |
Points | 17 |
Field Goals | 4/10 |
FG% | 40% |
3-Pointers | 3/7 |
3P % | 42.9% |
Free Throws | 6/6 |
FT% | 100% |
Rebounds | 9 |
Assists | 10 |
Steals | 2 |
+/- | 23 |
The 36-year-old is coming off a busy summer, leading Team USA to a Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics. Coming into the preseason, Steph looked locked in, and motivated to return to the Playoffs. However, he suffered a finger injury that kept him out of two of the six preseason games.
While the game did not showcase the typical Curry we’re used to, it was enough to help the Warriors record their largest win margin (35) on opening night. The 139-104 win tonight would have been exactly what the team hoped for, to set the tone for the new season right from Game 1.