‘Practice Shots’: Stephen Curry Torches Portland With 36 Points in Game 1

Stephen Curry hit 9 three-pointers Tuesday night en route to 36 points, six rebounds and seven assists in the Warriors’ 116-94 Game 1 win against Portland.

Curry was making “practice shots,” according to Damian Lillard, who struggled through a 19-point performance (on 4 of 12 shooting) for the Trail Blazers.

Terry Stotts and his coaching staff were left searching for answers on how to slow down Curry in the Western Conference Finals (hint: there aren’t any.)

Klay Thompson added 26 points for Golden State, and Steve Kerr also received key contributions from his bench.

Per The AP:

“Practice shots,” Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard said of Curry’s wide-open chances.

So far, the Warriors are showing they can keep winning until Kevin Durant gets healthy.

“I know what I’m capable of on the floor. The situation calls for me to be a little bit more aggressive and hopefully that’ll continue,” said Curry, who came in shooting 37.1% on 3s this postseason. “Obviously it’s nice to see the ball go in. I didn’t shoot the ball well for 4 1/2 games the last series and got off to a good start tonight. I want to maintain that. Every game is different, you’ve got to re-establish yourself. That’s my perspective no matter how I play.”

Curry shot 12 for 23 in his fourth 30-point performance this postseason, finding far more open looks than he had in the last round against Houston. The two-time NBA MVP outplayed the Portland duo of Lillard and CJ McCollum, who combined to go 11 for 31 against a strong Golden State defense.

“It’s not one-and-done. We’ve got a series, it’s one loss,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “We’ve got to play better, particularly at the offensive end, but we’ve got to be better at both ends.”

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