Curry in Rhythm Like Sweet Music Bumping Throughout Oracle Arena

OAKLAND -- There is a rhythm to Stephen Curry's game that, when at full volume, is not unlike a full band swapping solos, piano to guitar to sax to bass to the drums.

And, with the minds of the audience completely blown, back to the piano.

Curry's work is, at its best, splendid in its artistry, complete in its majesty. His latest performance, a 39-point, eight-assist masterpiece Wednesday night, provided the sizzling beat for Warriors as they blew the Charlotte Hornets out of Oracle Arena.

"That's amazing," Klay Thompson, Curry's sidekick in the backcourt, said after the 126-111 victory.

"Early on, he got it cooking and we kind of rode the wave from there," Kevin Durant said.

Curry needed only 30 minutes to electrify the sellout crowd. He made 14 of his 20 shots, including 11-of-15 from 3-point distance.

"You just know that Steph is capable for incredible games like tonight, and streaks, stretches . . . whatever you want to call it," Kerr said. "He's in a good groove and it all makes sense."

Curry's last three games: 110 points, with 26-of-42 shooting from deep.

His last two games: 82 points, with 20-of-30 shooting beyond the arc.

Curry accomplished that despite limping into the first game with a tender quad and coming into the second, on Wednesday, after missing a game due to stomach flu. Moreover, he did it without playing a single minute in the fourth quarter of either game.

And, on Wednesday, without a free throw. He's the first Warrior to score as many as 39 points without going to the line since Rick Barry went for 40 on April 5, 1977.

Curry is, plain and simple, in a rhythm.

"Whether it's the rhythm of a dribble going into your shot, or just feeling the footwork that it takes to get into that zone before you take a shot," Curry said. "You know the nights when it's all clicking and you can feel it. And some nights, you kind of have to be real purposeful about getting into that rhythm as best you can when it's not really that natural.

"But tonight it was one of those vibes where every shot I took in the first quarter, I knew right when it left my hand it was going in. You might be surprised if it doesn't; it doesn't happen like that every night."

Curry conceded that he enjoys playing the Hornets, partly because he considers Charlotte his hometown and partly because his father, former player Dell Curry, is an analyst for Hornets games.

"Every game I try to have that kind of attitude," Curry said. "I want to play well, shoot the ball well, be aggressive, try to make stuff happen. You just find different openings against different teams, for whatever reason.

"It's always cool to see my dad on the sidelines, commentating the game on their end. I get a little juice from that, too."

So good was Curry that Thompson's truly remarkable game -- 29 points (10-of-19 shooting, including 6-of-10 from deep), career-high-tying eight assists, five rebounds -- was eclipsed.

"When shooters get it going like that, man, it's tough to stop," Kevin Durant said.

"They made the correct passes and we keep going to them," he added. "They stayed hot. They made the correct plays as well, both of them with eight assists and one turnover apiece. That's great basketball."

And, for Curry and his teammates, it sounded like sweet music.

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