Stephen Curry Leads Golden State Warriors To Solid Victory Over Miami Heat

Jan 2, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) is pressured by Golden State Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes (40) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t look now, but the Golden State Warriors have a 16-3 record with all their starters healthy. That is by far, the best record in the NBA. Everyone is being dazzled by Portland and Indiana, but the Warriors are coming into their own as a superpower. They’ve now won seven straight games, NBA’s longest streak, and have a 2-game winning streak against the Miami Heat, who they dethroned tonight with a 123-114 victory.

The Dubs shocked Heat fans and turned heads with their showtime in the first quarter. They were doing everything right in terms of offense, and their defensive game wasn’t looking to shabby either. They shot 15/19 in the quarter, and didn’t seem to be slowing down at all. At the end of it, they led the 2-tim defending champs 38-33.

In the second quarter, they didn’t really show any signs of slowing down at all. Harrison Barnes, who finished with 15 points, was getting to the line and helping the Warriors make up for some of the free throw disparity. Draymong Green, as we all know, was out there working hard to muscle up LeBron James, forcing him into 5 early turnovers. The Warriors led 65-61 in a hot-shooting half.

Think the Heat are going to comeback strong and attack in the second half, correct? Well that’s what they did. What Erik Spoelstra didn’t account for, however, was Stephen Curry going berserk to the tune of 14 points in the third quarter, hitting deep 3-pointers from left, right, and center. After building a 15-point lead, the Heat were able to cut the deficit at 96-87 entering the final quarter.

Here, David Lee, who finished with 32 points and 14 rebounds, took over. He owned the matchup with Chris Bosh and did almost everything for the Warriors. The rest of the work, of course, was done by Curry, who finished with 36 points, 12 assists, and 4 steals. Every time the Heat got within striking distance, the Warriors had a response.

According to David Lee, the Warriors are doing so well because..

In the end, the Heat ran out of momentum as well as time, and the Warriors came away with the victory. They have a 2-game winning streak in Miami, which almost no other Western Conference team has. This Eastern Conference road trip has gone pretty well for the Warriors, going 3-0 so far. Their next couple of games are against the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards, two of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.

As of now, the Warriors stand at 21-13.