Steph Curry’s outburst saves Dubs in win over Bucks

What We Learned As Steph’s Outburst Saves Dubs In The Bucks Win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors led after the first quarter, second quarter and third quarter Saturday night at the Chase Center. It looked like they were going to lose the lead in the fourth quarter.

That is, until Steph Curry said otherwise in a thrilling 125-116 overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Curry put on a superstar display in the fourth quarter and overtime that will be featured on all highlight shows. He led the Warriors by 36 points. A slow start didn’t bother the eternal legend.

Of his 36 points, 29 came between the second half and overtime.

Klay Thompson dropped 22 points, Donte DiVincenzo’s 20 points was tremendous and JaMychal Green posted a season-high with 18 points from the bench. For so long, the Bucks were the better team – even without their best player, Giannis Antetokounmpo. On the track, the Warriors’ strength on their home court gave them victory after a three-game losing streak.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors, who are improving to 35-33 in the season and 28-7 at home.

Splash Brothers in the second half

Before halftime, JaMychal Green was the Warriors’ top scorer with 13 points. DiVincenzo was just behind at 12. The Splash Brothers – Curry and Thompson – had scored… 11 points combined.

Curry was 3 of 9 in the first half, making just one of his five shots from beyond the arc. Thompson had three fouls and only one shot. Then came the second half.

Klay came to life in the third quarter with 11 points and three 3-pointers. Curry added seven as the Warriors had a slim lead over the fourth. However, the last period of regulation was all about No. 30.

He scored 13 points in the fourth, with his clutch gene seeping out of his right arm. Enjoy everything. Three days before his 35th birthday, Curry reminded everyone how special he really is.

The story goes on

In overtime, Curry added another nine points and Thompson also gave Golden State four. They’re the best backcourt of all time for a reason. That was a statement and a loud reminder why.

Milwaukee men

Milwaukee natives Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole swapped places in San Francisco on Saturday night. Poole went back to the bench, with Looney back on the starting lineup. So the two cut off against their home team.

Looney did what he always did, grind away all the little things in a game. The rim wasn’t kind to Looney all night as he turned 3 out of 11. But he also finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and having 15 rebounds that set a game high.

He also grabbed a career-high five steals.

Poole’s up-and-down season continued. All four of his assists came in the first quarter. He scored 13 points off the bench but was 4 of 13 shooting overall.

Then there is DiVincenzo. The former Buck had another great game against his old team. Along with his 20 points, DiVincenzo made six three-pointers and had 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals. The eye test matched the advanced numbers as DiVincenzo was a plus of 17.

Break the curse of the first quarter

Hug a friend, share a kiss and open a cold one. After what felt like an eternity, the Warriors finally led after the first quarter. In reality it took a month.

Though it ended with a 3-pointer corner kick from Bobby Portis, the Warriors were 28-26 ahead of the second quarter. This is the first time the Warriors have been up after the first quarter since February 11 exactly a month ago.

They had gone 11 straight games without a lead after the end of a period and were behind in 10 of them.

Breaking the ugly streak also came with a surprise contributor. Curry wasn’t the one putting on a show. He only had two points and missed both of his 3-point attempts. Thompson scored four points and picked up two early fouls.

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JaMychal Green was the one who accumulated points in bundles. The experienced big man scored 11 points in just under six minutes off the bench, going 4-of-7 from the field and 3-of-5 in threes.

The Warriors had one fewer turnover than the Bucks in the first quarter, had three more assists, and had two more rebounds than them. It is working. Now it’s about the Warriors repeating their success from the first quarter and staying out of early holes.

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