Stephen Curry helps Warriors get even in West finals

Stephen Curry caught the pass, took one dribble to sidestep a lunging Serge Ibaka and quickly launched a three-pointer. Curry momentarily ignored the flight of the ball, turning to stare at the defender he had just evaded before his shot settled into the basket.

He said nothing. He didn’t have to.

His play announced that the Golden State Warriors were back to their usual dominance.

Curry produced a scoring flurry midway through the third quarter that transformed a taut game into a runaway Wednesday night at Oracle Arena, the Warriors emerging with a 118-91 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.

Curry scored 17 of his 28 points during the third quarter, only two fewer than the Thunder. Fifteen of Curry’s points came in a span of 1 minute 58 seconds, helping the Warriors tie the series at one game apiece heading into Game 3 on Sunday in Oklahoma City after a rare three-day layoff.

As Curry was being asked about a sequence in which he outscored the Thunder, 15-2, teammate Festus Ezeli placed a hand on Curry’s shoulder and said, “Steph is going to Steph, all right?”

Curry’s coach, Steve Kerr, feigned being unimpressed, saying “nothing” stood out about the scoring barrage.

“Business as usual,” Kerr said. “This is what he does.”

Curry didn’t win the game single-handedly, though it felt like it. Klay Thompson scored 15 points and Andre Iguodala added one of the season’s more improbable shots on the way to 14 points for the resilient Warriors, who are now 12-0 after losses this season, including 3-0 in the playoffs.

Kevin Durant scored 29 points on 11-for-18 shooting for the Thunder, whose four-game playoff winning streak ended. It might have had something to do with Durant scoring only six points in the second half.

Kerr said before the game that Curry wasn’t fully recovered from the right knee injury that recently kept him out more than two weeks. Curry certainly looked skittish during a second quarter in which he went scoreless, taking only one shot.

Then came a breathless stretch midway through the third quarter after Curry appeared miffed about several non-calls on potential Thunder fouls, pounding the ball off the court. He said he was mad only that he dinged an elbow he had previously hurt on an inelegant fall.

Curry’s scoring spree started with a three-pointer and continued with four free throws after Durant fouled him on a three-point attempt and handed him another free throw after picking up a technical foul for complaining about the call.

It continued with the three-pointer in which he peered at Ibaka before Curry added a pull-up jumper, another three-pointer and a cutting layup before heading to the bench with 21/2 minutes left in the quarter.

Curry credited zippy ball movement and screens that freed him for a stretch in which he made five of eight shots, including three of four three-pointers.

“We didn’t have to force anything,” Curry said, “so that was our brand of basketball.”

Curry barely played in the fourth quarter as the Warriors’ lead grew to 35 points, receiving a standing ovation as he checked out with a little more than six minutes left.

There was fear Curry might have to leave a lot sooner after he tumbled over a row of fans going for a loose ball in the first quarter, no one catching him as he fell awkwardly. Curry took a while before getting up after banging his right elbow on a metal platform, leading to some significant swelling.

“Elbow’s fine,” Curry said. “It looks like it has a tennis ball on top of it, but it doesn’t affect range of motion or anything. It’s just some pain, so I’ll be all right.”

Follow Ben Bolch on Twitter: @latbbolch