When it was suggested to him Friday that Golden State might use a defensive strategy of allowing Anthony Davis to have another monster night, as long as the Warriors keep the other Pelicans in check, two-time MVP Stephen Curry had a quick retort.
“Nobody likes to get 50 (points) dropped on them,” clarified Curry, who is familiar with authoring 50-point games himself, having done it five times in his NBA career.
In Wednesday's 107-102 win for Denver at the Smoothie King Center, the Nuggets often used big lineups, which allowed Davis to blow by slower defenders off the dribble, or take them out to the perimeter, where many are uncomfortable. Golden State will rely on more versatility against the three-time All-Star, headed by Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Draymond Green. Despite giving up about four inches in height to the 6-foot-11 Davis, Green has been disruptive at times head-to-head.
“You've always got to be aware of where he is on the floor,” Curry said of facing Davis. “Obviously, Draymond has the matchup, but you've got to have help. A guy like AD, you just try to force him into tough shots, whether he makes them or not, you can live with that. But you can't give up easy layups in transition, things like that, that he thrives off of.
“If you give up a bunch of transition layups, alley oops, uncontested shots, then you've got issues, because that builds confidence. But the other stuff, you can live with.”
The Warriors' other recent league MVP winner, Kevin Durant, occasionally had to guard Davis, but more often that duty when to the like-size Serge Ibaka. Durant predicted that Davis will lead the NBA in scoring this season, something Durant's done four times, including three in a row from 2009-10 through 2011-12.
“It's hard to defend him,” Durant said. “You can't. His first step is probably the quickest I've seen in a while, at his positon. He's long, he can shoot it, he can dribble, shoot the three. He's doing just about everything on the court. He can score from any area on the floor. He's probably going to lead the league in scoring, easily. So it's a matter of team defense. You've got to help and make him shoot tough shots and make it tough on him. You're not going to stop him from getting the ball every time down the court.”
Like the rest of the NBA, Durant took notice of Davis' 59-point, 16-rebound, seven-steal game, calling it a performance he thinks could become common for the 23-year-old.
“Last game, 50 for him is probably (just like it was) a good game, but move on to the next one,” Durant said. “A customary night for him. So we've got to be prepared tonight.”
