There is, apparently, a tentative return date set for Stephen Curry. Maybe it’s not even tentative. Maybe it’s REAL. His return probably won’t lead to a whole ton more wins for the Warriors at this point (gotta keep the tank rolling), but it does put his teammates on notice: if you’re going to score 40 in a game, you’ve got to do it soon.
I’m thinking about Alec Burks with this one. D’Angelo Russell’s already scored 40, he doesn’t care. Jordan Poole is a long shot no matter how bad his team his. Marquese Chriss will never get there unless punches count for 5. But Burks, this is his best chance, probably a better chance than he ever thought he’d get again, to score tons of points. He needs to get going. He has a whole month, which should be enough time.
His performance in this game was a doozy even if he didn’t score 40, or even if his team didn’t win the game. 33 points, one off a career-high. 8 assists, one off a career-high. He was THIS close to having the best scoring and passing game of his life, but instead we just get a stat-stuffed loss while everyone all around the country wondered where Curry was, or where Klay Thompson was, or where Draymond Green was, and who the heck this “Alex Burke” was.
Just kidding. Even though this was on national TV, you know no one was watching.