The Golden State Warriors might need more trash-talking opponents to face in order to put Stephen Curry frequently in a microwave mode.
As such, the recent chirping of Houston Rockets’ Kevin Porter Jr. is a gratifying opportunity for the Bay Area, serving as a fuel for the two-time MVP to turn his heat on and had a 40-point brilliant showing to snap his cold streak of performances from the past few days.
Right at the postgame interview, Curry gave a thumbs up on Porter Jr. ‘s competitiveness and even admitted that the 21-year-old point guard’s words and action fired him up for a strong finish.
“I like his competitiveness,” Curry said on NBC Sports Bay Area Postgame Live. “He’s got a dog in him and he wanted to take on that challenge. There was a play, I think a couple off-ball fouls, and I won’t say there was chirping, but there was a little gamesmanship.
“Then we had a steal, I got a good defensive stop and we got a steal, and I came down in transition and that kind of lit the fire for the rest of the game.”
After scoring 19 points through the first three periods, Curry blazed off for 21 in the last quarter to guide the Warriors to its sixth-straight win, 122-108.
On the other side, Porter Jr., who eventually talked to Curry at the end of the Monday game to give his respect and get some advice, said that he is cherishing every moment to share the court and battle the all-time player for their growth as a young squad.
“I like playing against Steph [Curry],” Porter Jr. stated via Mark Berman of Fox Sports Houston. He’s gonna make us better as a team, coming in here having the night he just did.
“We’re gonna build and we’re gonna learn from this game. A type of player like that, you got to take that challenge because at the end of the day it’s gonna be better you.”
