Rewind: Tale of two halves for Curry in Clark's perfect night

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PORTLAND – Ian Clark was taking over, shining on stage, bringing the energy and production that in a little more than five minutes pulled the Warriors out of a seven-point deficit and into a nine-point lead in the first quarter.

The night was his and his alone.

And then, in the third quarter, after a forgettable first half, Stephen Curry snapped awake. When Curry wakes up, everything changes for the Warriors, for their opponent and within the arena.

Curry joined Clark on the big stage Tuesday night and quickly overshadowed his younger teammate in driving the Warriors to a 127-104 victory over the Trail Blazers before a sellout crowd (19,393) at Moda Center.

“I told him he looked like Riley Curry in the first half,” coach Steve Kerr said, “and Steph Curry in the second half.”

After a five-point first half, on 2-of-9 shooting – with the added indignity of four turnovers – Curry scorched the nets for 23 points in the third quarter, making 8-of-12 shots, including 5-of-6 from deep.

“When Steph does what he did in the third, it’s demoralizing for opponents,” Kerr said.

“You know he’s going to get it going at some point,” Draymond Green said of Curry. “And when he does, that happens."

The Warriors led by six (59-53) at the half. When Curry was done with his one-man demolition, they were up 100-73 at the end of three quarters.

Game over. Rout on. Curry never left the bench in the fourth quarter.

“There was a lot of game left,” Curry explained, “and I was just relying on my teammates’ energy. I don’t know exactly what wasn’t clicking in the first half. But I never lose confidence. You don’t know how it’s going to play out, but you just try to continue to be aggressive and have a short memory and just play.”

Curry is one of the few players in the NBA capable of eclipsing a teammate who did just about everything as right as possible.

Clark, who struggled through the first three games, was practically perfect, scoring a career-high 22 points on 8-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. He also had the temerity to disrupt the Blazers with his defense.

“He had a great preseason, so this didn’t shock me,” Kerr said. “He can play, he can shoot and we’ve got a lot of other guys that can shoot. So he’s going to have some openings.”

The last time Clark could remember such a splendid shooting night was during his time at little Belmont University in Tennessee. He recalled a game on Dec. 1, 2012, when he was 10-of-10.

“The basket felt wide open, for sure,” Clark said.

Yet he seemed prouder of his defense. Clark helped the Warriors shut down Portland star Damian Lillard after a hot start while also getting three steals.

“We’re trying to find our way defensively,” Clark said. “With a lot of guys we can switch a lot more this year, and a different kind of rim protection. So being able to come in and be a spark on the defensive end, the offense will take care of itself.”

The Warriors for the first time this season played well at both ends. Though Curry and Clark were the stars, the team effort was tremendous. The Blazers are a good team, they were at home, and the entire fourth quarter was garbage time.

“Tonight was our best game of the first four, so we made some strides tonight,” Kerr said.

The Warriors beat the Blazers on the glass (45-32), in the paint (60-28) and on the break (22-13). They held Portland to 43-percent shooting while draining double-digit (10) 3-pointers for the first time this season.

“Today was kind of the first time we put it all together,” Green said. “Shots fell after a while and we got it done on the defensive end. That was the most important thing, is just us really putting everything together.”

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