Two of the best offensive players in the league, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, will face off on Friday when the teams finish their season series in Atlanta.
Curry, who scored 50 points in Wednesday’s 134-126 road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, is averaging 30.1 points. Young is averaging 25.3 points and scored 41 in Monday’s 136-115 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In the game against the Clippers, Curry made 20 of 28 field goals and 8 of 14 3-pointers. Curry had the 12th regular-season 50-point game of his career and tied his season high with 21 points in the third quarter. Since December 1, 2018, when he played at Detroit, he has made a 3-pointer in 233 consecutive regular-season games, a NBA record.
Draymond Green, a player for the Warriors, received his 16th technical foul of the season during the loss. Unless the NBA decides otherwise, he will not be able to play on Friday.
Klay Thompson had a bad night, scoring just 15 points, but he is currently averaging 22.3 points and scored 38 points on Monday against Phoenix. On Jan. 2, when the Warriors defeated Atlanta 143-141 in double overtime, he scored 54 points against them.
Young was the bright spot in the Timberwolves’ narrow defeat. The Hawks fell behind quickly, led 76-51 at halftime, and never recovered their deficit.
Young defeated the Warriors in January with 30 points and 14 assists. Brilliant State played without Curry that evening. In Atlanta, the Hawks have defeated the Warriors three times in a row.
This season, Young has 33 double-doubles, 23 games with at least 30 points, and three games with at least 40 points.
In his eight games against Golden State, Young has scored 21.6 points on average. In his 19 games against Atlanta, Curry is averaging 23.4 points.
The last two games have been difficult for Atlanta’s defense. In four of their last five games, the Hawks have given up at least 120 points, including a combined 270 points.
There is a lot of playoff drama in the game. No is the Warriors. 6 in the Western Conference, one game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves and one game behind the Clippers. The Hawks lose. 8 in the East, three games behind the Miami Intensity and just a single game in front of Toronto.
The Warriors are currently in their second of five road games. On the road, Golden State has been a different team, going 7-27 with a winning percentage of.206. At home, the Warriors are 29-7, with a winning percentage of.806. That disparity is the seventh-largest in league history and the largest since the Denver Nuggets of 1988–89.
