The Warriors avoided falling behind 0-3 in their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings by winning Game 3 114-97 despite having Draymond Green suspended and having their backs against the wall.
Golden State never trailed and won the game from start to finish. By the end of the second quarter, they had a double-digit lead. Following that, the Kings were unable to cut their deficit to less than 7 points.
The reigning champions were playing without their defensive captain against the NBA's best offensive player this season, and Green's contentious ban loomed large going into the game.
After allowing 126 and 114 points in Games 1 and 2, respectively, the Warriors defence kept the Kings to 38% shooting (23.9% from deep) with 15 turnovers.
In Green's place, the Warriors began Jordan Poole; nonetheless, Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga had to perform above expectations.
In Green's absence, both saw more playing time and contributed, scoring 19 points on 7 of 14 shots while pulling down 5 rebounds.
Curry, who finished with 36 points on 12-of-25 shooting (6-of-12 from long range), led the offence as expected, and Kevon Looney proved his worth with 20 rebounds and 9 assists.
The Kings had the chance to put the Warriors over the edge at this point. The club is now facing the possibility of playing Game 4 in a boisterous Chase Centre with Green after an almost flawless start to the series in Sacramento.
Given the Warriors' unusual home-road splits, they still hold home-court advantage, which is no small feat, but chances like Thursday are the kind you don't want to blow while trying to climb into the NBA's elite.
Curry remarked, "I like the momentum that we created tonight, we just have to capitalise on it. My team came with the right energy to kind of prove that we can create some life for ourselves."