Stephen Curry Scores 29 as Warriors Beat Heat 120-100, Spoiling Klay Thompson's Return to Golden State

Stephen Curry missed seven of his first eight shots, then took over the second half, scoring 29 points as the Golden State Warriors beat the Miami Heat 120-100 on Thursday night at Chase Center in San Francisco. The Warriors won their sixth straight game after an 0-3 start, while the Heat fell to 3-6 one night after Klay Thompson's overtime winner against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Thompson, playing his former team in Golden State for the first time as a member of the Heat, finished with 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 20 points and 14 rebounds for Miami but was held to four points after halftime, and the Heat were outscored 26-9 during a third-quarter stretch they never recovered from.

How Golden State pulled away

The game was tied 53-53 at halftime, according to Yahoo Sports, after Miami had control for much of the first half. The Heat led by as many as 10 points in the first half while Curry struggled, going 2 of 10 from the field before halftime. He still made history in the opening quarter: his 3-pointer with 7:03 left in the first passed Oscar Robertson's 26,710 career points for 17th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list, according to the Associated Press.

The game turned in the third quarter. Curry scored 14 points in the period, Golden State strung together a 12-0 run and outscored Miami 26-9 over one stretch of the period, and the Heat's lead became a deficit that kept growing. Curry finished 9 of 19 from the field, 6 of 12 from 3-point range and 5 of 5 at the free-throw line in just 28 minutes, sitting once the game was out of reach. That early exit ended his streak of four straight 30-point games.

Golden State outscored Miami 38-23 in the third quarter and 67-47 after halftime, leading by as many as 20, Yahoo Sports reported. The Heat also turned the ball over 22 times, and the Warriors converted those mistakes into 28 points.

The Warriors made 16 of 41 3-pointers as a team. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game, per the AP, that guarding the 3-point line was "high on the priority list" for Miami, and Golden State's second-half shooting showed why.

Thompson's return to the Bay Area

The night carried extra weight for Thompson, who won four championships with Curry and Draymond Green in Golden State before leaving for Dallas and, this season, Miami. He received a loud ovation during pregame introductions, according to Yahoo Sports, and he hugged former teammates and team officials afterward, including Curry, Green, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski.

Thompson had his moments. He made a third-quarter 3-pointer after a shot fake sent Curry flying past him, and he blocked one of Curry's drives off the glass. But after averaging 24.7 points in his previous three games, including 30 in the win at the Clippers, he cooled off. Thompson has started all nine games at shooting guard for Miami, already more starts than the eight he made last season with Dallas.

Curry said afterward that it is still surreal playing against Thompson because of how many battles they have been through together, Yahoo Sports reported.

The box score

The leading performers for each team, according to the AP:

Davion Mitchell led Miami in scoring, and Bam Adebayo added a double-double. Andrew Wiggins struggled, scoring two points on 1-of-6 shooting with six rebounds and four assists. Antetokounmpo's quiet second half was a sharp contrast to his early-season form, which included a 36-point night in Detroit, a triple-double against Indiana and 30 points in the road-trip opener against the Lakers.

Where the Heat stand

The loss left Miami ninth in the Eastern Conference at 3-6. The Heat opened the season 0-4, with losses to the Detroit Pistons (128-111), Charlotte Hornets (115-110) and Dallas Mavericks (113-109) among them, before beating the Atlanta Hawks 129-117 for their first win and then routing the Indiana Pacers in their NBA Cup opener. The West Coast trip has been a mixed bag so far:

The second night of a back-to-back showed. Miami came from 20 points down to beat the Clippers on Wednesday, then took an early lead in San Francisco before fading in the third quarter. For a team built around the blockbuster addition of Antetokounmpo, the 3-6 start leaves little room for another slow stretch before the Heat return to Kaseya Center.

Golden State's turnaround

The Warriors have flipped their season since losing their first three games. At 6-3, Golden State is on its best stretch of the young season, and Curry is averaging 29.9 points through seven games, according to Yahoo Sports. Green's season-high 11 assists and Lendeborg's all-around line, which also included three steals, gave Golden State the depth that Miami lacked once its starters cooled off. Nine Warriors scored at least eight points, including Will Richard and Brandon Williams with 10 apiece and Al Horford, who made all three of his shots for eight points.

Golden State has not lost since Oct. 24 against Phoenix. Curry, who scored 34 in a win over the Suns on Monday, told ESPN that the winning streak is building a lot of confidence, according to Yahoo Sports.

What's next

The Heat have two days off before finishing the trip Sunday at Sacramento. Golden State hosts another Florida team, the Orlando Magic, on Saturday night at Chase Center, then plays New Orleans on Monday.