Kevin Durant, Warriors Breeze Past Trae Young, Hawks as Stephen Curry Drops 30
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 128-111, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Monday night.
Stephen Curry led the way for Golden State with 30 points, with Kevin Durant (28 points) and Klay Thompson (27 points) also contributing to the victory.
Reigning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month Trae Young had 20 points and three assists in a losing effort.
Stephen Curry Reminds Everyone Who Is the MVP of the Warriors
Kevin Durant may have won the past two NBA Finals MVP awards, but there is no question who the most valuable member of the Warriors is.
It's Stephen Curry.
Golden State just had a three-week stretch with Curry sidelined with a strained left groin. During that stretch, Durant and Co. seemed almost ordinary, going 5-6 without the two-time NBA MVP. And that's not even touching on the internal drama that shook the basketball world.
Make no mistake about it; without Curry, the Warriors would still be among the favorites to win the championship this season. After all, this is a roster that still features four other 2018 All-Stars in Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins, who is progressing toward his Warriors debut. But with Curry, there is a different level of dominance.
Just look at Monday night's game as an example.
Golden State doubled Atlanta in the first quarter, 34-17, despite Thompson not making a field goal. That was made possible by the fact that Curry outscored the Hawks by himself, 18-17, while playing 10 minutes. In just his second game back from an extended absence, he showed no signs of rust as he drained four of his five attempts from beyond the arc in the opening period.
That wasn't a one-off performance, either. He's been hot from distance all season, as he entered the night shooting a ridiculous 48.1 percent from distance in 2018-19. And that number only increased as he went 6-of-10 from three on the night.
Durant proved during Curry's absence that he can still take over and be the alpha when needed. However, there just wasn't the same mystique surrounding the team with Curry out.
Since Durant moved to the Bay Area during the summer of 2016, it's been easy to forget just how valuable Curry is to the Warriors. The last month proved that Curry is the engine that makes this team the unstoppable force that it is—and Monday night's performance made it clearer than ever.
Trae Young's Three-Point Shooting Struggles No Reason to Panic
The fifth overall pick is coming off a month in which he was named the top rookie in the East, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have room to improve.
Entering a showdown with the Splash Bros, Young was just 10-of-52 from beyond the arc over his last 10 games. Add in a 0-for-5 performance on Monday, and Hawks fans wouldn't be wrong for wondering if he will find his touch anytime soon.
But it's way too early to panic.
Young is just 24 games into his professional career, and even as he struggles from deep, he is still averaging 15.8 points per game. And for as explosive as he may have been in college, it's important to remember that he shot only 36 percent from three-point range. That's a respectable rate, no doubt, but it's hardly Curry numbers.
The 6'2", 180-pound Young drew plenty of Curry comparisons coming out of college. Those are not necessarily fair to Young, as Curry has always been a pure shooter while Young has been more of a volume shooter.
Atlanta was able to make a mini-rally when Young dropped 12 in the second quarter. When he becomes more aggressive like that, it can be tough to stop even if he's not making it rain from outside.
Young does have a handful of games in which he has knocked down at least three triples, including a six-spot against the Cleveland Cavaliers in his third career game:
At this point, the rookie is still adjusting to a higher level of competition. He may never be as lethal as Curry from downtown (to be fair is, not many are), but there is still plenty of time for him to develop his shot.
If there is a troubling trend for Young, it's how loose he has been with the ball early on. With Monday night's seven turnovers, he now has 11 games (in 24 chances) in which he has five-plus turnovers. His 15.8 points and 7.4 assists per game are nice, but he'll need to work on taking care of the ball.
But like his three-point shooting, that's something that can be ironed out as he gets more experience.
What's Next
Both teams will be back in action Wednesday. Golden State (16-9) continues its five-game road trip with a matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Atlanta (5-19) continues its three-game homestand by hosting the Washington Wizards.
Where to Watch: NBA games and related coverage are available through Fubo.TV/welcome.
