Through the first five games of the 2020-21 NBA season, Golden State’s Steph Curry was “off.” Over that span, he averaged “only” 26.4 points per game.
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Meanwhile, the Warriors won only two of those contests, and critics started to chime in on the end of a dynasty. Golden State advanced to five consecutive NBA Finals, winning three championships, prior to last season, when it went 15-50 and wasn’t invited to the NBA “bubble” to close out the pandemic-shortened season. Curry, who broke his hand in November 2019, played in only five games last season.
Well, the superstar announced his return in a big way Sunday night. He scored a career-high 62 points in a 137-122 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, finishing 18-for-31 from the field, including 8-for-16 from 3-point range, and 18-of-19 from the free-throw line.
62 PTS
18-31 FG
8-16 3PT👀 Stephen Curry's career-high night 📽️ pic.twitter.com/kh1uR6ubOy
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 4, 2021
When speaking to the media afterward, Curry said he remained confident despite the struggles.
“I don’t get frazzled too easily and am very confident in who I am as a person,” he said. “As a basketball player, there’s not going to be anything you can say about me or to me that’s going to affect that. At the end of the day that’s how I got here, and I got a lot of people in my circle that understand what makes me tick, and how much I enjoy this game, and all the different challenges you get to experience having been around 12 years-plus.”
His coach, Steve Kerr, who has seen many amazing performances from Curry over the years, said this one was “brilliant.”
“It’s just a privilege to coach him, it really is,” Kerr told the media. “And not just because of his talent, but just because of the way he carries himself, the way he leads, and we are incredibly blessed as an organization to have Steph leading the way. What a performance tonight.”
After the game, Curry — who played the game wearing a wristband that says “In Jesus’ Name I Play” — posted on Instagram and gave the glory to God.
View this post on Instagram
Raised in a Christian household as the oldest child of Dell (a 16-year NBA veteran) and Sonya Curry, Steph says he dedicated his life to Christ in the eighth grade, when it became clear to him that he couldn’t live off his parents’ faith. He and his wife, Ayesha, now have three children, and aim to raise them with the same values.
As we welcomed the new year last week, Curry posted a message on Instagram, saying he’s “always committed to being grateful for what I have in my life and the blessings only God can give!” A week earlier, as the NBA’s regular season was about to begin, he posted another message saying, “Blessed and highly favored!! Romans 8:28 mindset ready for year 12!”
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” — Romans 8:28
Curry will continue to take that mindset into his next game, which comes Monday night at 10 p.m. ET against the Sacramento Kings (3-3).
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