https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/article/There-s-never-been-anybody-like-him-16555832.php

As the hours ticked from Thursday night to Friday morning in Chase Center, those who were the closest witnesses to Stephen Curry’s latest stunning performance were still trying to put it all into perspective.

The Warriors’ point guard scored 45 points in Thursday’s home-opening win over the Clippers, including a 25-point onslaught during the first quarter and two clutch 3-pointers in the final two minutes to secure the victory.

The first of the clinching 3-pointers was from 31 feet, a good 7 feet beyond the arc on the left wing.

“Even on some of the ones when I’m like, ‘what the hell?,’ I’m still kind of thinking it’s money,” Warriors power forward Draymond Green said. “It’s just: ‘Why the hell did he just shoot that shot?’ But I expect all of them to go in, regardless of how ridiculous some of them are that he decides to take. I still expect them to go in, because he makes those ridiculous-ass shots. …

“Tough shot-taker. Tough shot-maker.”

In Curry’s 50th career game with at least 40 points, he seemingly made every tough shot. Actually he did make every shot during the first quarter, going 9-for-9 from the field — 5-for-5 from 3-point range.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has been watching this since 2014, but Thursday’s scintillating showcase was a first for new assistants Jama Mahlalela and DeJan Milojevic. During a midgame timeout, Mahlalela told Kerr he was gobsmacked by the performance.

After seeing it for seven years, Kerr felt the same.

“I’m still blown away,” he said. “There’s never been anybody like him. It’s not just the shooting range, but also the competitiveness and the guts. He’s just an amazing player.”

After going 5-for-21 — one of the 20 worst shooting performances of his career — two nights earlier against the Lakers in Los Angeles, Curry went 16-for-25 from the floor Thursday, 8-for-13 from 3-point range, and 5-for-5 from the foul line.

The Warriors took the lead for good after his right wing 3-pointer with 57.7 seconds remaining.

“He’s just the complete package offensively,” said Clippers swingman Paul George, who scored a team-best 29 points. “He’s so good at shooting the 3, but he’s also so good at getting open for layups. He’s mastered how to get free without dribbling the ball. He’s just so elusive and quick.

“One second you look away, and he’s gone. If you’re not attached to him, he’s gone.”

That’s exactly what happened on Curry’s final 3-pointer.

The two-time MVP rebounded Eric Bledsoe’s missed 3-pointer on the left side of the court, pushed the ball in transition before tossing a throw-ahead pass to Damion Lee in the opposite right corner, and sprinted in behind the retreating defense. Lee returned the pass just as a self-described “thirsty” Curry arrived on the right wing and found a sliver of breathing room in between two closing Clippers defenders.

“I knew exactly what I was trying to do from the jump, so I’m glad (Lee) saw it, too,” Curry said.

Green saw it hours earlier at the Warriors’ shootaround. After Curry didn’t miss a shot during the game prep, Green knew his running mate was coming out firing.

“You kind of knew it was coming, but he could have missed every shot in shootaround, and I still would have known it was coming,” Green said.

By tipoff, everybody was seeing the same thing.

“Any time the ball leaves his hand, I think it’s good,” Warriors small forward Andrew Wiggins said. “Any time.”

Lee said: “He’s Stephen Curry, so any time he’s got it going, you’re trying to find him.”

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said: “You can’t relax. He’ll shoot it from anywhere. He’s the best shooter of all time.”

That’s some perspective.