Stephen

Curry

While he didn’t have his best night shooting the basketball, Curry extended his streak of games with at least 31 points to three. The Warriors star was at his best in the third quarter, shooting 6-of-9 from the field and scoring 18 points. Outside that period, the Suns kept Curry in check, but he still went home with a stat line that many fantasy managers will take without hesitation.

Curry is going to sit out Sunday for right knee injury management reasons. Will Richard is likely the top candidate to move into the starting lineup with Curry sidelined.

The Warriors got off to a terribly slow start, being outscored 38-15 in the first quarter. The bench came up big in the second quarter, setting the stage for Curry to do his usual work in the second half. He scored 17 of his 31 after halftime, helping the Warriors turn a 25-point deficit into a 17-point victory. During the fourth quarter, Curry moved into 18th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, passing Dominique Wilkins. Over the last two games, he’s scored 75 points and knocked down 14 three-pointers.

Steph can still go crazy in games but it doesn’t happen as often with his age. Getting a perfect 16-16 from the free throw line is an incredible boost to your fantasy teams at this point in the week. As long as he is healthy, he will be one of the most exciting players in the NBA, and you can take any of these performances you can get as a fantasy owner.

For just the second time in his illustrious career, Curry finished a game without missing a shot. After making his lone attempt during the first half, the Warriors guard shot 7-of-7 from the field in the second half as they pulled away from the Nuggets. Given Yaxel Lendeborg’s play, the Warriors didn’t have to rely as much on Curry. If that continues, it would make the future Hall of Fame guard’s job a little easier.

Curry and Podziemski did not play in Saturday’s loss to the Suns for injury management reasons. Their returns will push Brandon Williams and Will Richard to the bench.

No surprise here as Curry said after Friday’s loss to the Grizzlies that he probably wouldn’t play against the Suns Saturday. With Brandin Podziemski also out, De’Anthony Melton and Will Richard could start and see significant minutes.

Curry led the Warriors in scoring on Friday, but he shot a frigid 5-of-15 from the field. The assists were solid, but this was not the best night to have the Warriors star in most fantasy lineups. After the game, Curry said he “probably” won’t play against the Suns on Saturday, bad news for fantasy managers hoping for a bounce-back effort.

Curry did what he could to try and keep the Warriors in this game, but it was to no avail. You would want him to have more assists, but his teammates weren’t hitting shots. With no Porzingis for the foreseeable future, there’s a chance that the Warriors will have many more blowouts which will reduce Curry’s minutes.

Curry dealt with an ankle injury over the weekend, but made it back in time for the Warriors’ season opener. He’ll start alongside Melton, Santos Lendeborg and Green.