After a long five game road trip, the Golden State Warriors were back in action against the Magic last night. Arguably, the Warriors should have lost the game, but the Warriors made a late push in the fourth quarter. The Warriors were down by two and and Steph Curry dribbled up the court and gave Tobias Harris a hesitation move to create enough space to get the shot off. Curry nailed the three and the Warriors grabbed their 10th victory in a row.
-== Steph Curry Drains Game Winning 3-PT Shot ==-
Curry started the month of December with a bang, but he was incredible in November. He averaged 23.8 points, 7.8 assists and 5.3 boards per game. The Warriors are off to the best start in franchise history and the team looks ready to handle the rigors of the Western Conference. The NBA has recognized Curry’s efforts and named him Western Conference Player of the Month.
Jimmy Butler won the award in the Eastern Conference and will likely earn himself a big contract this off-season. Curry on the other hand is under paid, but he’s more worried about winning a title. The Warriors are winning games that they would have lost last season and Curry is a big part of that. He’s the unquestioned leader of this team and has shown he can take over games, but more importantly he understands that in order to win a championship; it takes a full team effort.
Steph Curry will likely accept this award graciously, but he would rather keep extending this winning streak. This is the first player of the month award given this season and Curry probably find himself receiving more of these as the season continues.
Here’s the official press release from the Golden State Warriors:
OAKLAND, CA – Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Month for games played in October/November, the NBA announced today. The 6-3 guard has helped the Warriors to their best start through 17 games in franchise history at 15-2, as well as their best road start through 10 games (9-1). Curry, who also won the award in April 2013 and April 2014, is the first Warrior to earn the honor three times and the first to win consecutive monthly awards.
Curry averaged 23.8 points (fifth in the NBA), 7.8 assists (fifth), 5.3 rebounds and 1.94 steals (eighth) in 32.4 minutes during the first month of the season, while shooting 49.6 percent from the field, 41.8 percent from three-point range and 92.3 percent from the line (third) in 16 games. He tallied at least 30 points four times and had four double-doubles, including a 30-point/15-assist game on Nov. 16 at the Lakers. Over the last two seasons, Curry has more 30/15 games (five) than the rest of the NBA combined (four). The Davidson product scored a season-high 40 points in a comeback victory over Miami on Nov. 25, hitting 8-of-11 from three-point land in his seventh career 40-point performance.
Curry began the month by earning Western Conference Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career, posting averages of 30.0 points, 7.3 assists and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 56.1 percent from the field and 51.9 percent from distance in three games from Nov. 3-9. He is one of only two players hitting at least 49 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the line (Kyle Korver), while only he and LeBron James are averaging at least 23 points, seven assists and five rebounds this season. Curry has dished out at least five assists in all 17 games this year, and hit at least five three-pointers in four of those contests, eclipsing Ray Allen (50) for the most games with at least five assists and five threes in NBA history (52).
Golden State closed the month by winning nine-straight contests and has since won a league-high 10th consecutive game, one off the franchise record. The Warriors have also won six-straight on the road (one away from the franchise mark), which is tied for the longest road win streak in the NBA this season. The Warriors finished the month of November by sweeping the team’s five-game road trip, just the second time in franchise history they’ve swept a road trip of at least five games (previously done in 1978).
In addition to Curry, only Chris Mullin (January 1989 & November 1990) and Bernard King (January 1981) have earned the monthly honor for the Warriors since the NBA began giving out the award in 1979.
Chicago’s Jimmy Butler earned Player of the Month accolades for the Eastern Conference.
For more information on the Golden State Warriors 2014-15 season, presented by Kaiser Permanente, please visit warriors.com.
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