Steph Curry Says Kevin Porter Jr.'s Trash Talk Was 'Entertainment'

Golden State Warriors superstar responded to some trash talk from Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr.
AP Photo/Michael Wyke

Steph Curry broke out of his shooting slump in a big way against the Houston Rockets, finishing with 40 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds on 12/23 from the field and 7/14 from deep. Most of Curry's scoring happened after Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. had some words for him towards the end of the 3rd quarter. Curry responded with a three the very next possession, and then exploded for a 20-point fourth quarter.

After the game, Steve Kerr was asked about Porter Jr. talking trash to Steph and said, "I didn't notice it, but I highly recommend it." As previously mentioned, a 20-point fourth quarter from Curry followed up that moment with Kevin Porter Jr. at the end of the third. Since the NBA began tracking quarter specific data in 1996, Steph Curry has the most 20-point quarters in the league. With his 37th 20-point quarter, he passed Kobe Bryant for first place on that list.

Curry was asked after the game about what happened with Kevin Porter Jr., and said that the play following the chirpiness, where Curry hit a three in transition, "lit the fire" for the rest of the game. Curry made sure to complimented Porter Jr. as well, stating that KPJ has a "dog" in him, and wanted to take on the challenge of guarding Curry.

Steph Curry has been in a well-documented slump for a couple of months now; however, a game like this could be what gets him going. The Warriors certainly hope that is the case, as they look to catch the Phoenix Suns who have won their last 10 games.

In his postgame press conference, Curry said that "It's a nice game within the game. It's not the first and it's not gonna be the last time... You definitely bring another level of competitiveness when fun stuff like that happens during the game. I take it all as entertainment. Sometimes you need a little boost, so I never really play into it much. Obviously I didn't say nothing back, so just hoop and have fun with it."

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.