Stephen Curry faltered in the worst shooting night of his career as the Golden State Warriors dropped the top seed in the West to Phoenix.
Curry shot just 3-of-14 from the 3-point line in this game, including a pair of unusual air balls. Call it a bad night from deep — but Curry himself has credited the hounding defense played by Phoenix. Mikal Bridges, in particular, seemed to be all over him.
Life for Curry was difficult on Tuesday. His deep shot was not falling and his efforts in the paint were stifled by Deandre Ayton who anchors an elite Phoneix defense.
However, I would not bet on a repeat performance Friday.
Stephen Curry is known for his ability to bounce back from a bad game. The Golden State Warriors can count on him to show up on Friday.
Remember the last time Curry had the worst shooting night of his life? It was the 2016-17 season when he shot 0-for-10 from the 3-point line against the Los Angeles Lakers. A few nights later, in his next game, Curry set the NBA record for most 3-pointers in a game at 13 (soon to be beaten by Klay Thompson).
Another example of this came earlier in the current season when Curry shot 2-of-8 from the 3-point line on opening night only to explode for 45 points in the Dubs’ next game.
The same thing happened last season, with Curry shooting 32.1 percent in his first five games only to erupt for a career-high 62 points against Portland.
Curry is not the type to sulk after a cold spell. He is going to keep shooting. And, eventually, he is going to start making shots again.
While the Suns should be happy with how they defended Curry on Tuesday, they should be well aware that stopping the two-time MVP in consecutive games is a challenge few have ever accomplished.