Stephen Curry is well on his way to a second straight MVP award.
The Warriors' star point guard dropped a cool 21 points in the first quarter Thursday against the Timberwolves, marking his fourth such single-quarter performance already this season.
MORE: Bogut: Steph has never started a season like this
Curry finished out the 129-116 victory with 46 points, his NBA-high third 40-point outburst of the season and first since Oct. 31. The Rockets' James Harden has two 40-point games, while four players have one each.
Stephen Curry: third 40-point game of the season (most in the NBA) pic.twitter.com/FXoKJn6fii
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 13, 2015 To put that first-quarter takeover in perspective, Russell Westbrook led the league with four 20-plus quarters all of last season, and the rest of the league currently has two 20-plus quarters combined — by the Trail Blazers' C.J. McCollum and the Pistons' Reggie Jackson.
Curry went 6 for 9 from the field, including 4 for 5 from beyond the arc and 5 for 5 from the free throw line in the quarter. He scored nine points in a 1 minute, 6 second span early in the quarter, after which he had nine of the Warriors' 13 points to the Timberwolves' two total.
Here's a look at one of Curry's better moves from the first quarter:
How to set the pace in 2015. Check it out on TNT! #NBARapidReplay https://t.co/4zn30ojlL2
— NBA (@NBA) November 13, 2015