A game without a Stephen Curry 3-pointer is a rare occasion so a Golden State Warriors win without it must be even rarer.
Such was the case when the Warriors escaped with a 118-114 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. While Curry was firing miss after miss from behind the 3-point line, Klay Thompson (team-high 28 points on five 3-pointers) and Andrew Wiggins (25 points on four 3-pointers off the bench) had no problems with their outside shooting. Golden State never trailed and built a lead that grew to as large as 22 points, however, the Blazers nearly pulled off the upset if not for some late-game miscues.
The Warriors will be happy to take a win like this, especially with all the developments surrounding the team. Draymond Green remains out indefinitely after another incident where he threw his hands around. Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins have had their struggles this season. The Chris Paul experiment? Well, it could still be better.
The aforementioned issues, alongside those we on the outside never really get to hear about, certainly lit a fire under Golden State, who are now 12-14 and are in the midst of a two-game winning streak. Winning without a Curry 3-pointer should be a confidence booster for the Warriors dynasty, which is a distant second to LeBron James in the fight with Father Time.
Questions on whether or not the dynasty is nearing its end will continue to hound Golden State until it actually does end. Even an NBA championship in 2022 couldn’t beat the allegations, but with each passing game, they might as well give it a shot.
There will be moments where the likes of Thompson, Paul, and yes, even Wiggins will show the flashes that either made them great or an asset the Warriors coveted and Golden State will take the wins that come with them. Curry may be 35, but he continues to produce MVP-caliber seasons so all he needs is… help and good health.
As a team, the Warriors are the second-best team in the NBA in terms of rebounding per game (46.9) and are third in the league in terms of total 3-pointers made (385). However, they are a middle-of-the-pack team beyond that. The revolving players (due to a myriad of reasons) along with the inconsistencies of some of their younger players made it difficult to find a supporting cast for Curry, Thompson, Paul, and Wiggins.
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr has no choice but to experiment and he has found some contributions from the likes of Dario Saric and Brandin Podziemski, who made the crucial stop and free throws to help the Warriors outlast Portland.
Green’s eventual return could help, but at this point, Golden State may have to imagine a future without him. Of course, they will miss the ball movement and the (non-violent) intangibles he can bring to the table, but it’s on the Warriors front office to find a viable replacement.
Stephen Curry will definitely hit a 3-pointer in his next game and may continue to do so until he turns 40 or retires, whichever comes first. However, he’ll need more than that if he and the Golden State Warriors want to prevent this season from teetering between greatness and disaster. But it sure was nice to see that at least for one night, Curry can sit back and watch as his teammates let it fly.
