Stephen Curry’s 46 Points Leads Warriors to Franchise Record 10-0 Start

Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors put their undefeated record on the line Thursday night as they were in Minnesota to take on a much improved Timberwolves’ team. The Warriors came in to the game boasting a 9-0 record, and by the time the final buzzer sounded, the 2015-2016 Warriors became the owners of the best start in franchise history. They notched a 129-116 win at the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis, behind another unbelievable performance by the reigning MVP.

Curry was nothing short of spectacular yet again as he lit up the scoreboard, something we have become so accustomed to this season. Curry entered the game as the leading scorer in the NBA, putting up 31.8 points per game. That being said, he still left everyone speechless as he poured in 21 points in the first quarter alone, his fourth 20-point quarter of the season. The rest of the NBA has combined for two such quarters this year. Curry has taken his game to a level that even the most optimistic Warrior fan could not have fathomed. He finished the game with 46 points and four assists, while shooting eight-for-13 from deep.

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The second splash brother, however, has not had quite the video game-like start that his backcourt counterpart has enjoyed. Coming into the night, Klay Thompson has managed only one game this season where he pitched in over 20 points. At this point last season, Thompson had already posted five such games, with one of those being a 41-point outburst in the second game of the year. Thompson finished the game with only 15 points, going six-for-16 from the  field.

Unfortunately, the Warriors had to get it done without the helping hand of Leandro Barbosa, who was tending to family matters in his home country of Brazil. Luckily for the Warriors, his absence was not any hindrance to the Warriors winning their franchise-best 10th straight game to start the season. He was missed however, when at times the Warriors struggled to score, a problem usually solved by the Brazilian Blur.

The game got off to a fast start as the Warriors found themselves leading 10-0 less than two minutes into the game. Minnesota is a team that likes to run, and the versatile Warriors have no problem getting in a shootout with anyone. The Warriors came in to Thursday’s game second in points per game and first in offensive efficiency.

A problem for Warrior teams in the past few years has been getting off to slow starts and having to fight their way back to get a win. This year has been completely different, as night after night, the Warriors punch opposing teams in the mouth from the jump. Thursday night was no different. The Warriors came out firing and never really looked back as they shot a scorching 60 percent from the field and found themselves up 40-27 after one quarter of play.

Despite the excellent start, the Wolves were able to fight their way back into the game.  At the beginning of the fourth quarter, a Wolves’ run cut the Warriors lead to five with Curry on the bench. Thompson continued struggle finding his stroke, which made holding the Wolves off all the more difficult.

Once Curry subbed back in, the ship was steadied. A few clutch buckets by the MVP kept the Wolves at bay, despite some excellent shot making of their own. The Warriors finished the game with a 53.9 percent field goal percentage and 47.4 percent from deep while dishing out 34 assists as a team. The Timberwolves held their own however, as they put up 116, the second-highest score put up against the Warriors this season.

For the complete game box score, click here.

Next: Golden State Warriors Roundtable: 5 Questions on the 2015-2016 Season

The Warriors will look to extend their winning streak on Saturday night as they welcome in the Brooklyn Nets, who will visit the Sacramento Kings one night prior. The game tips off at 7:30 PT at Oracle Arena.