Warriors extend record start to 20

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – Charlotte Hornets broadcaster Dell Curry told his son before Wednesday night’s game, “do not ruin my night.”

“He didn’t make any guarantees,” Curry said with a smile.

Actually, Stephen Curry ignored his father altogether.

The reigning MVP scored 40 points in three quarters and the Golden State Warriors easily defeated the Hornets, 116-99, to extend the best start in NBA history to 20-0.

On a night when the Hornets honored Dell Curry, the franchise’s career scoring leader, with a “key to Buzz City,” it was his oldest son who stole the spotlight by hitting 14 of 18 shots from the field and going 8 for 11 from 3-point range.

Stephen Curry, who grew up in Charlotte and starred at nearby Davidson College, scored 28 points in the pivotal third quarter, including his team’s final 24. He hit 10 of 11 shots from the field, including all five 3s – many from well beyond the arc and in the face of a defender – to help the Warriors build a 21-point cushion.

He sat out the entire fourth quarter due to the big lead and didn’t get a shot to break his career high of 54.

“It was a cool atmosphere to play in, especially on top of my dad’s ceremony,” Stephen Curry said. “It was nice to be out there at halftime and hear his speech and stand with my mom, my sister, my aunts and my grandma. It was a good night. I can’t ask for more. To play like I did and get the win was special.”

He said the 20-0 start to the season seems surreal.

“It doesn’t even sound right,” he said. “In the NBA, with so many good players and good teams, to be able to put on a run like this is special. We don’t always play our best but we find ways to win. That’s the strength of our team. Every night a different guy might step up and have a huge game and do the little things that don’t show up in the stat sheet.”

In other results, Detroit outlasted Phoenix in a shootout, 127-122; New York stopped Philadelphia, 99-87; Toronto downed Atlanta, 96-86; Chicago repulsed Denver, 99-90; Houston rallied past New Orleans, 108-101; and San Antonio demolished Milwaukee, 95-70.

Despite missing the inside presence of center Al Jefferson -–out at least two weeks with a strained left calf – and 0-for-8 shooting from Kemba Walker in the first half, the Hornets fought back to cut the lead to 60-51 at the break.              

But midway through the third quarter Curry got rolling, launching deep 3-pointers, several times turning and jogging back down court well before the ball even went through the net.