Tuesday night, Golden State defeated the Washington Wizards 123-112, Chris Paul proved his worth to the Warriors in his first game back after seven weeks, and Klay Thompson scored 25 points on an evening that Stephen Curry will never forget.

For the first time in the regular season since Nov. 23, 2012, at Denver, Curry was held scoreless in the first half. Including a 32-foot heave at the halftime buzzer, he missed three of his first seven shots, six of which were from 3-point range.

53 seconds into the third quarter, Curry made his first basket of the game. The Warriors then outscored the outmatched Wizards 38-17 throughout that quarter. While the rest of the Warriors shot just 17 for 30 from beyond the arc, he finished with 18 points and made 4 of 16 3-pointers.

Golden State has won 11 of its last 14 games and is now in ninth place in the Western Conference, percentage points ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers. Jonathan Kuminga contributed 21 points for the team.

Tyus Jones led the Wizards, who had lost 12 games this season, with a career-high 17 assists to go along with his 14 points. For Washington, which played without two starters in Deni Avdija (left heel contusion) and freshman Bilal Coulibaly (right pelvic contusion), Kyle Kuzma finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Corey Kispert and Marvin Bagley III each scored 20 points.

16 times in his career, Curry has failed to score before the half. That one occasion occurred during the playoffs on May 10, 2019, against Houston, when he scored 33 points in the second half to help the Warriors win 118-113. All four of his previous scoreless first halves occurred in his rookie season.

Paul, who had to have surgery for a shattered left hand that kept him out of 21 games, had the youthful legs of a 38-year-old. With a 3-pointer, a stєal, two assists, and two rebounds, he was the driving force behind a 19-4 run in the second quarter that turned a nine-point Warriors deficit into a six-point advantage. He passed Steve Nash to take the 32nd spot in NBA history with the three. In 22 minutes, he ended with nine points and six assists.

The Warriors supporters were there to support Curry, but in the end, they were roaring for Paul, who had joined the team in an offseason trade with Washington in exchange for Jordan Poole. Paul stayed outside the 3-point arc for a little while in the middle of the third quarter. When no one came out to guard him, he swished a 3-pointer that put Golden State ahead 85-71. Paul then walked to the bench with a confused smile.

He was being covered by Kispert until, late in the quarter, he calmly directed his teammates to their locations on the floor. Kuminga then lofted a perfect lob for a dunk and a 98-75 Warriors lead.

Steve Kerr, the coach of the Warriors, stated that the contract extension he received before the game was for two years. Prior to now, the AP claimed it was for $35 million.