Chef Curry becomes playmaker: Top 5 games where Stephen Curry had high assist numbers

Stephen Curry in the 2016 NBA Finals
Stephen Curry in the 2016 NBA Finals

Stephen Curry might not be the quintessential point guard who has a pass-first attitude, but he is certainly a playmaker. He creates shots for his teammates through his constant off-ball movement.

Defenders naturally react to his movement, and that opens up driving lanes or open threes. To measure Curry's contribution to playmaking, one shouldn't look at his assist numbers but rather the Golden State Warriors' offensive +/-. He instantly elevates the floor, and has been ranked either first or second in the league in offensive box +/- in five of the last six years.

In the 2020-21 NBA season, the Golden State Warriors had the 13th-best offense in the league when Stephen Curry was on the floor and the seventh-worst when he was off.

However, before his MVP seasons, Stephen Curry was one of the best passing point guards in the league. He averaged 8.5 assists during the 2013-14 NBA season and is in fact, one of the most underrated passers in the league.


When has Stephen Curry dished out the most dimes in a game?

Stephen Curry is one of just six players to have 30 assists in their first three career playoff games. His passing is incredibly underrated, as everyone gets mesmerized by his shooting, but he has some creative ways to find his teammates. Moreover, he will also tend to create more looks for his team when his shots aren't falling.

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Stephen Curry recently passed Guy Rodgers as the Golden State Warriors' all-time assist leader.

On that note, let's take a look at Stephen Curry's top five assists games. Curry has had several outings with 15 assists. So for the purposes of this article, we have considered game score, points, turnovers and also if it was a playoff game.


#5 January 24th, 2014 vs Minnesota Timberwolves - 15 assists

Stephen Curry against Ricky Rubio in 2014 [Source: FanSided]
Stephen Curry against Ricky Rubio in 2014 [Source: FanSided]

In an enticing matchup against Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Stephen Curry did all he could to carry his team to a victory.

It was also a point guard battle against Ricky Rubio, who had 12 assists of his own. In a back and forth game that went down to the wire, Timberwolves' Kevin Martin drained a long two-point jumper to give his team a one-point lead with 8.4 seconds left. Curry was doubled in the final possession, and he passed it to Harisson Barnes who missed the game-winning attempt.

Kevin Love dropped 26 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists while his teammates Martin and Nikola Pekovic had 26 and 22 points, respectively. Warriors' Klay Thompson had 18, and David Lee dropped 24, but it wasn't enough.

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Stephen Curry finished with 33 points, 15 assists, three rebounds and a steal on 12-21 shooting.


#4 November 16th, 2014 vs LA Lakers - 15 assists

Stephen Curry against Kobe Bryant in 2014 [Source: USA Today]
Stephen Curry against Kobe Bryant in 2014 [Source: USA Today]

Stephen Curry, in his first All-Star season, went up against Kobe Bryant at Staples Center and put on a show. The Golden State Warriors ran the LA Lakers out of the building as the score was 115-77 through just three quarters.

Curry had 13 points and nine assists in the first half, and then dropped 17 points and six assists in just the third quarter.

Kobe Bryant dropped 44 points in 31 minutes on 15-34 shooting from the field along with 11-16 on free throws. However, that wasn't enough as the Golden State Warriors were the far better team that year.

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Stephen Curry finished with 30 points, 15 assists, four rebounds and one steal on 10-19 shooting in 30 minutes.


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#3 April 24th, 2014 vs LA Clippers - 15 assists

Stephen Curry against Chris Paul in 2014 [Source: USA Today]
Stephen Curry against Chris Paul in 2014 [Source: USA Today]

With the series tied at one apiece, Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors were at home for Game 3 of the first round of the 2014 NBA playoffs. Curry did everything he could to put his team in a commanding position. With his shots not falling at the beginning of the game, he started to create easy looks for his teammates. He finished with 15 assists, eight of which came in the first half itself.

Blake Griffin finished with 32 points; DeAndre Jordan had 14 points and 22 rebounds, while Chris Paul posted 15 points and ten assists. Stephen Curry finished with 16 points, 15 assists, two rebounds and one steal.

Paul and Curry went back and forth in a point guard battle. Down by two points with 4.4 seconds on the clock, Curry attempted a three-pointer to win the game, but came up short.

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Many would still argue that Paul fouled him on the shot attempt, and it is clearly visible that it was the case, but the referees didn't blow their whistles.


#2 April 6th, 2014 vs Utah Jazz - 16 assists

Stephen Curry against the Utah Jazz in 2014 [Source: Associated Press]
Stephen Curry against the Utah Jazz in 2014 [Source: Associated Press]

The Splash Brothers could not be stopped against the Utah Jazz on April 6th, 2014 as the Golden State Warriors blew them out 130-102.

Klay Thompson dropped 33 points on 11-20 shooting while Stephen Curry dropped 31 points on 12-18 shooting. The two combined for 12 three-pointers on the day. Curry also recorded a career-high 16 assists with just two turnovers.

Stephen Curry also had three steals in this game along with one rebound.

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The Jazz's Trey Burke and Alec Burks went for 24 points apiece, but that wasn't enough to overcome the Golden State Warriors' 17 threes.


#1 December 27, 2013 vs Phoenix Suns - 16 assists

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors against the Phoenix Suns [Source: Bleacher Report]
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors against the Phoenix Suns [Source: Bleacher Report]

In a game against the Phoenix Suns in 2013, Stephen Curry was clearly struggling to shoot the ball, so he contributed in other ways for his team.

He eventually finished with 14 points, 16 assists and 13 rebounds, but reached the triple-double mark in just 22 minutes. The Golden State Warriors blew out Phoenix 115-86, as nobody from the Suns could buy a bucket. Thompson dropped 21 points in 24 minutes on 9-11 shooting for the Warriors.

Stephen Curry had 14 points, nine assists and nine rebounds by half-time, which meant he went scoreless in the second half.

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However, his playmaking paved the way for the Golden State Warriors to win by a whopping 29 points.

You may also like: Top 5 rebounding games of Stephen Curry's career.

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