Broken Ankles Mixtape: 5 Times Stephen Curry absolutely owned his matchup in an NBA game

Over the last decade, few opponents have had the better of Stephen Curry. In fact, most opposition point guards are unable to stem his constant barrage of threes or his incessant movement around the court. Not only has his serial scoring propelled him into NBA folklore, but every aspect of his game makes him one of the best players in the league's history.

In his 12-year career, Curry has led the Golden State Warriors to three championships, has been voted MVP of the league twice, once unanimously, and made seven All-NBA teams. He has averaged over 20 points a game for eight full seasons and made 43.3% of his three-point shots of which he takes over eight per game.

An NBA-record 96 THREES in a calendar month.. @StephenCurry30 in April!How will he start off May?🏀: GSW/HOU, 7:30pm/et, ESPN pic.twitter.com/yGDQut70rG

— NBA (@NBA) May 1, 2021

In this article, we will run down five times in which Stephen Curry has destroyed his matchup in an NBA game. Some involve the 33-year-old getting the better of an entire team while others involve a single incident or series of moments against his opposite number.

5 Instances Stephen Curry has owned his opponent in an NBA contest

#1 Stephen Curry vs Raymond Felton (February 27th, 2013)

Stephen Curry had his third-highest scoring game against the New York Knicks

This was arguably the game that Stephen Curry announced himself to the NBA. On the famous Madison Square Garden court, a 24-year-old Curry put on an unprecedented shooting display, dismantling the Knicks' defense. Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni couldn't get close to the squirming playmaker who drained 11 three-pointers on just 13 attempts.

Curry would go on to finish the game with 54 points, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 50+ points and make 10+ threes, something he has since repeated a number of times.

Steph Curry's 54 were the most by an NBA player in a loss since Kobe had 58 in a loss to Charlotte, 12/29/06.

— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) February 28, 2013

Although the Warriors would go on to lose the contest by four points, all of the headlines at the time centered around Stephen Curry's excellence. Eight years later, it is still his third-highest scoring game.

---

#2 Stephen Curry vs Marcin Gortat (April 2nd, 2017)

Stephen Curry had Marcin Gortat on skates in their 2017 matchup

Stephen Curry is used to having centers on ice. Andre Drummond and Rudy Gobert have both been bamboozled by the point guard's handles and trickery. However, in 2017, Curry had Marcin Gortat so confused by his dribbling and shot-fake that he was left completely open to drain a corner three.

The game was only three and a half minutes old when Curry received the ball under the basket. Prevented by the Polish center's imposing stature, the diminutive guard passed his way to the left-hand corner.

Once there, he faked a three which Gortat immediately bought, leaving his feet, then pretended to pass the ball to a teammate, forcing the Wizards center to turn his back on Curry so that he could release a wide-open trey.

Curry would end up with 42 points in the Warriors win, while Gortat would play just 16 minutes and grab seven points. However, the primary takeaway from an otherwise comfortable regular season victory was the two-time NBA MVP's unbelievable magic with the ball in his hands.

---

#3 Stephen Curry vs Chris Paul (March 8th, 2015)

Stephen Curry scores a three vs the Golden State Warriors

Although it would end up being one of Stephen Curry's quieter nights on an NBA court, he pulled off one of the most dazzling dribbles in history against the LA Clippers in 2015.

In the first quarter of a 106-98 Warriors win, Curry got Chris Paul, usually an elite defender, to bite hard on a pump fake at the perimeter before nailing a wide-open mid-range jumper. It was in the third quarter, however, when he wowed the home crowd.

"That could be the greatest move I've ever seen!" 6 years ago today, Steph Curry did this to the Clippers...pic.twitter.com/IgqWmFCezM

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 8, 2021

Faced with four Clippers defenders and having worked his way into the middle of them, Curry then put the ball between his legs and behind his back before dribbling back out to the three-point line, turning, and launching a ridiculous three-point attempt that would of course go in.

So difficult was the shot choice that Steve Kerr was caught frustrated by NBA cameras before putting his hands on his head in disbelief.

---

#4 Stephen Curry vs Damian Lillard (January 3rd, 2021)

Portland Trail Blazers v Golden State Warriors - Game One

Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard may be two of the greatest long-range shooters the NBA has ever seen, but it was the former who sought to silence critics early in the 2020-21 season against the Portland Trail Blazers star. Foolishly, questions had begun to be raised in the media about Curry's ability to carry his Golden State Warriors side after a rocky five-game start which included three blowout losses.

However, against the Trail Blazers, Stephen Curry exploded with a career-high 62 points in 36 minutes. While his opposite number also put on a great showing with 32 points, Curry was unstoppable and became only the third player in NBA history to score 30+ points in each half of a game.

He drained half of his three-point attempts in the contest (eight) and fought through opponents in the lane, earning 19 free-throws, of which he made a staggering 18. Even with time running down and the Warriors comfortably winning, Curry still took the opportunity to rub salt in the wounds of the Trail Blazers' helpless defense by launching and connecting with multiple long-range threes.

---

#5 Steph Curry vs George Hill (June 3rd, 2018)

Golden State Warriors Victory Parade

Really, this example is another time in which Stephen Curry got the beating of every opponent he faced. Whether it was those switching onto him such as Kevin Love or Cavs players who didn't suit up, such as Kendrick Perkins who squared up to the point guard in the second quarter of this contest.

Curry was in one of those moods where he couldn't miss, jacking up off-balance threes and efforts while being fouled. He had Love on skates on several occasions, including one instance where the Warriors leader kept backing away from the basket before launching up a ridiculous high-arcing three that swished the bottom of the net.

With a 10-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter, Steph took over. He scored 16 points in the period, making five threes from five attempts to set a new NBA record for most three-pointers in a Finals matchup (nine).