Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry was up to his old tricks on November 8 against the Atlanta Hawks. The sharpshooter put up 50 points and 10 assists in Golden State’s 127-113 win over Atlanta. Steve Kerr‘s group improved to 9-1 on the young season, good for the best record in the NBA.

Curry became the third player in Warriors history to put up a line of 50 points and 10 assists, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry. The two-time MVP looks like the best player in the world again, and Kerr showered his floor general with robust praise that should terrify the rest of the NBA.

Steve Kerr on Stephen Curry: “I think he’s in the best shape of his life”

Kerr thinks Curry is in the best shape of his life and more than capable of carrying the offensive burden until Klay Thompson returns due to his improved strength and his conditioning. The Warriors superstar apparently doesn’t get tired, which is terrible news for the league.

“I think he’s in the best shape of his life,” Kerr said of Curry, via ESPN. “The last few years, I think he’s elevated his strength and his conditioning. He’s a machine out there. He doesn’t get tired. He’s going full-bore on both ends, and it’s amazing to watch him.”

Curry is averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 6.6 assists through the Warriors’ first 10 games. The seven-time All-Star is shooting 43.1% from the field, 38.8% from beyond the arc, and 98.0% from the free-throw line while playing 33.6 minutes per game.

Against the Hawks, Curry shot 50.0% from the floor and 47.4% from deep. Despite being in his 13th NBA season, though, Steph can’t always tell when he’s going to have an offensive explosion like he did versus Atlanta.

Stephen Curry on his incredible night: “You kind of just stay in the moment”

Curry started the Hawks game on a personal 10-0 run and never stopped. He kept hitting shots from all over the floor and destroyed every defender Hawks coach Nate McMillan threw at him.

During his postgame media session with reporters, Curry admitted that he stayed in the moment throughout the game and tried not to think about his scoring avalanche until the third quarter.

“It’s kind of hard to say because obviously you made the first two, and they were both in rhythm, the way the ball comes off your hand feels good,” Curry said. “You kind of just stay in the moment, and every possession it starts to kind of build on the previous one. Maybe going into the half, the shot that got us within four, the way the game had gone, you carry that momentum into the locker room, come out in the third quarter, that’s when you kind of start to wait for the avalanche to fall — and it did.”

Curry is clearly on a mission to lead the Warriors back to the playoffs after missing the postseason in 2020 and 2021. The future Hall of Famer knows how important he is to the team and is doing everything he can to be available, even if it means playing through pain.

Steph played through shoulder injury vs. Hawks

Curry injured his left shoulder early in the first quarter against the Hawks. After getting his shoulder examined by the Warriors’ training staff, the All-NBA guard stayed in the game but did wear a heating pack on the bench during breaks to keep the shoulder loose.

According to Curry, the injury occurred on a screen.

“It kind of got jammed on a screen,” Curry said. “Similar thing that happened in the last preseason game, but just a little tweak, and it’s fine.”

Curry wasn’t going to let a shoulder tweak take him out of the Hawks game. He’s as intense of a competitor there is in the NBA, and Kerr hopes fans appreciate that side of him.

“I think one thing I hope people realize when they’re watching him do what he did tonight is how competitive he is,” Kerr said about Curry. “He rises to the occasion over and over again because he loves a challenge and tonight was a huge challenge, down 15 against a team that is really talented. You could see Steph’s competitiveness on full display along with his skill.”

Kerr won three championships with Michael Jordan on the Chicago Bulls and two with Tim Duncan on the San Antonio Spurs. Now, he’s trying to win his fourth title as head coach of the Warriors, and those odds are looking good early on with Curry leading the charge.