SAN FRANCISCO • Stephen Curry is a three-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion and a two-time Most Valuable Player.
He should never be underestimated even when the going gets tough, according to Steve Kerr.
The Golden State Warriors coach was proven right when the guard scored 38 points and the Warriors used a 34-6 flurry bridging the third and fourth quarters to stun the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 115-105 on Friday night in San Francisco.
“It’s just who Steph is,” Kerr said.
“He’s been doing this for many, many years and it’s one of the reasons he’s a two-time MVP.
“Usually with Steph, when he has a tough game he bounces back with the next one.”
In the rematch of the Clippers’ 108-101 win on Wednesday night, the Warriors (5-4) used 20 three-pointers – including nine by Curry – to prevent a two-game sweep.
Curry was held to just 13 points during Wednesday’s loss.
His nine three-pointers on Friday were the most by a Warriors player this season, and he added 11 assists.
Paul George had a team-high 25 points and Kawhi Leonard 24 for Los Angeles (6-4), who had won their first three games at the Chase Centre, including a pair of blowouts last season.
The Warriors trailed by 14 at halftime and 85-63 late in the third period before a three-pointer by Curry at the 3min 4sec mark of the quarter turned the tide.
He capped a 19-point quarter with a 29-footer in the final seconds to get Golden State within 87-81.
When Damion Lee, Eric Paschall and Kent Bazemore added threes of their own early in the fourth period, suddenly Golden State had taken a 97-91 lead.
Los Angeles never led again but did forge a 97-all tie on back-to-back three-pointers by Luke Kennard and Serge Ibaka, the latter with 7:09 to play.
But Brad Wanamaker countered with a pair of three-pointers for the Warriors and Andrew Wiggins hit a key hoop after the Clippers had come to within a point one last time, sending Golden State to their third win in their last four games.
Curry hit 13 of his 24 shots and nine of his 14 three-point attempts in the third 30-point effort in his last four games.
“We are a young team trying to find our identity and understand how we are going to win games,” he said.
“A win like this gives us confidence that no matter how far out of it we are, we can turn it around.”
Elsewhere, Jerami Grant tied his career high with 31 points as the hosts Detroit Pistons (2-7) rallied from a 23-point, first-half deficit to down the Phoenix Suns (6-3) 110-105 in overtime.
Grant, who also snared 10 rebounds, had just established a new career high in points against Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 23 points and former Piston Langston Galloway had 17.
In Milwaukee, Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points and Jordan Clarkson added 26 to lead visiting Utah (5-4) to a 131-118 victory over the Bucks (5-4).
The Jazz snapped a two-game losing streak after making a franchise-record 25 three-pointers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points and Khris Middleton added 31 to lead Milwaukee.
The duo also combined for 18 rebounds and eight assists. But it was not enough to keep the Bucks from losing at home for the first time this season.
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