Chef Curry becomes playmaker: Top 5 games where Stephen Curry had high assist numbers
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.
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]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/09/a2288-16309745826752-800.jpg)
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.
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]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/09/41616-16309728667414-800.jpg)
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.
Stephen Curry finished with 30 points, 15 assists, four rebounds and one steal on 10-19 shooting in 30 minutes.
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