Dub Hub: Steph Curry rises to the moment once again

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In today’s Dub Hub:

Steph Curry finishes with 42 points as Warriors beat the Nuggets, 137-131.
Draymond Green shared his thoughts on the recent NBA gambling scandal.
Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores career-high 55 points in second consecutive double OT victory.

While the Golden State Warriors have seen Stephen Curry do the impossible countless times, it never gets old for coaches, players, and fans alike.

Curry reminded everyone why he’s still one of the best

players in the NBA, erupting for 42 points in Thursday night’s 137-131 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets. He scored 16 straight points for the Warriors late in regulation and into overtime — including the clutch three-pointer in the final seconds that forced the extra period and set the stage for yet another Chase Center classic.

For Draymond Green, it was business as usual. Having played alongside Curry for over a decade, Green has seen this story before — and knows exactly what to expect from Curry when the moment arrives.

But for a new teammate like Al Horford, it’s a different experience. After years of competing against Curry, he couldn’t help but smile now that he’s sharing the same jersey.

Finally for Curry, the focus wasn’t on his personal heroics, but the team’s early identity. More than anything, he said, the Warriors are trying to establish a “winning mentality” as they improved to 2-0 on the season.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Friday, October 24th:

Warriors News:

Stephen Curry is still magical, and the Warriors have every reason to believe | The Athletic

He scored 16 consecutive points for the Warriors between the fourth quarter and overtime. Gordon’s 10th made 3-pointer landed like a dagger with 26 seconds remaining, putting Denver up 3.

Four seconds later, Curry came off a Green pick and launched from 34 feet. When his second sky-scraping 3 in as many games rattled in, it was Denver exasperated. The Nuggets had done so much right. And Curry made sure it didn’t matter.

“He doesn’t need a lot,” Jokić said. “He just needs one 3 to see go in. He did an amazing job tonight. He hit a big 3 and then a deep 3 to tie the game. The whole fourth quarter and overtime, he was really good.”

With Al Horford’s arrival, the Warriors enter Steph Curry’s final chapter | ESPN

“That whole conversation gets old quick,” Curry said of maximizing his window. “I get what everybody’s saying and the idea of it. But you make decisions with the information you have in front of you. If the information changes, then your perspective might change. That’s kind of how it is in the league in general. I say all that to say: I want to be competitive. Doesn’t mean you’re going to have a perfect situation where you’re the proverbial favorite. But I like where we are at.”

Draymond Green shares his reaction to the NBA’s recent gambling scandal

NBA News:

Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier arrested in gambling inquiries | ESPN

In the poker case, Billups and Jones are accused of using their celebrity to lure people into playing in poker games that were rigged by the Mafia, Nocella said. The organizers allegedly used “sophisticated cheating technologies,” including shuffling machines that could read the cards in the deck, poker chip trays with hidden cameras, special contact lenses and glasses that could read pre-marked cards, and an X-ray table that could read cards facedown on the table, according to Nocella.

Once the so-called “fish” lost, the Mafia used extortion and violence to make sure they paid their gambling debts, Nocella said. Investigators found that the scheme involved members and associates of the Bonanno, Gambino, Lucchese and Genovese crime families, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

Since April 2019, victims have lost at least $7 million in the rigged poker games, according to the indictment, with one victim alone losing $1.8 million.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores career-high 55 points in 2OT win vs. Pacers

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Warriors just activated their new jumbo lineup in win vs Nuggets

The Warriors won 137-131 in overtime. The jumbo lineup was a microcosm of everything they’ll need to contend this season: versatile, physical, smart, and gritty enough to survive when the beautiful game turns ugly. Because here’s the truth: you can dazzle teams with your offense for 47 minutes, but if you can’t get a stop in the last minute, none of it matters. Golden State just showed you how they plan to get those stops.