Steph Curry's 38-point outburst in the Warriors' 115-105 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night included a rare accomplishment.
Unlike most nights, the two-time MVP started the fourth quarter on the floor rather than the bench.
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"I loved it. I was surprised," Curry said from Chase Center in a video conference call with reporters Friday. "[Assistant coach Mike Brown] told me [at the] end of the third-quarter break. He said something like he was gonna give me a minute, and then I didn't hear what he said after that. I thought I was coming out for a minute, and I was gonna play 10 or 11 minutes in the fourth 'cause I had it rolling.
"He was like, 'Nah, keep playing. I'm gonna give you a possession or a minute, and then take you out.' So we had a little fun with that one 'cause it's obviously what the game called for."
Curry long has campaigned to play more fourth-quarter minutes, as well as overall. He got his wish Friday as the Warriors continued to eat into the Clippers' once-massive lead.
Down by as many as 22 points in the third quarter, Golden State trailed by just six points heading into the fourth quarter. Curry played every minute of the third quarter, scoring 19 of his 38 points for the night. Just after Brad Wanamaker substituted for Curry, Kent Bazemore hit his second free throw to tie the game at 87.
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Curry's usage rate (33.6 percent) is on pace to be the highest of his career, but he's not necessarily playing more minutes. He's playing just under 34 minutes a night, which wouldn't crack his top five of the most minutes per game in a season. Curry played a touch over 36 minutes Friday, so there's wiggle room if the Warriors need to up his minutes to chase a game.
Whether or not they actually use it should the opportunity arise Sunday against the Toronto Raptors remains to be seen.
"We'll take it game by game in terms of my minutes and all that type of stuff," Curry continued. "It's fun to know that we can have that kind of back and forth when I'm campaigning for more minutes and they're shutting it down, or vice versa. [Friday] it was kind of a surprise that I didn't have to ask."
