WASHINGTON — Guard Stephen Curry scored 25 of his 51 points in the first quarter and sank 11 3-pointers as the Golden State Warriors downed the Washington Wizards 134-121 Wednesday night for their eight straight win.
Golden State (45-4) obliterated Washington early with Curry providing the firepower, including 36 points in the first half on 13 of 14 shot attempts with eight from beyond the arc. The Warriors led by 17 points in the first quarter and 74-60 at halftime. After the Wizards closed 81-79 midway through the third quarter, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player helped fend off Washington with a pair of 3-pointers.
Fellow All-Star guard John Wall played like one, leading the Wizards (21-26) with a season-high 41 points and 10 assists. Washington lost two straight and seven of nine.
Curry finished 19 of 28 from the field, including 11 of 16 on 3-pointers for his fourth career game with at least 50 points. Curry’s 51 points tied the Verizon Center record for most individual points, matching Michael Jordan and Gilbert Arenas. His 11 3-pointers is the most in the NBA this season.
Forward Draymond Green had 12 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, setting a Warriors single-season record with his 10th triple-double. Guard Klay Thompson had 24 points.
Wall fueled a fast-break heavy comeback as Washington opened the second half with a 19-7 run, but the point guard sat out the final 6:18 of the period after picking up his fourth foul. Golden State took advantage and entered the fourth quarter leading 103-92.
With Washington still in rally range, Curry nailed his 11th and final 3-pointer for a 120-109 lead with 4:22 left. Golden State made 20 of 42 from distance.
Curry made his first six shots, including five 3-pointers inside the opening seven minutes before the raucous and sellout crowd. He finished the opening period with seven 3’s as the Warriors led 43-28 after the first quarter.
Washington shot 50.5 percent from the field and played better than in several recent lackluster performances, but could not keep up with the defending league champions. Guard Bradley Beal had 18 points.
Curry grabbed seven rebounds as Golden State outrebounded Washington 49-38.
The Warriors won their previous seven games by an average of 21.6 points.
The teams close the season series March 29 at Golden State.
NOTES: Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke about the rock star attention given to Golden State and star Stephen Curry compared with when he won three NBA titles during the 1990’s as a player with the Chicago Bulls. “Obviously, with Michael (Jordan) drawing so much attention everywhere we went. I think today things are bigger in a lot of ways with social media and so many different media outlets. And Steph is getting a lot of notoriety, obviously, and drawing fans and media everywhere we go. There are a lot of similarities, I think.” … Wizards F Kris Humphries (sore right knee) missed his 15th straight game. … The Warriors return home to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. The Wizards play Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers.