https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/article/Steph-Curry-looks-like-himself-creating-all-17118710.php

DENVER — Jordan Poole might be the Warriors’ fancy new toy, young and sleek and virtually unstoppable at times, but their compass remains Wardell Stephen Curry II.

Remember, he missed the final month of the regular season, 12 games in all. He came back in Game 1 of this first-round playoff series against Denver and missed his first five shots, understandably looking rusty. Curry needed essentially one half of basketball to find his footing.

And since then? He’s back, all right. Absolutely.

Curry, Poole and Klay Thompson combined for 80 points Thursday night, as the Warriors pushed the Nuggets to the brink of elimination. Golden State weathered a superb performance by Nikola Jokic, won 118-113 and seized a 3-0 series lead.

Curry scored 27 points and added six assists. Peer past the numbers and consider the control he exerted over the game — the way he disrupted and distorted Denver’s defense, the calm he exuded over his teammates when the Nuggets surged ahead midway through the third quarter.

The Warriors trailed 80-75 after Aaron Gordon’s dunk sparked a raucous response from the thirsty crowd at Ball Arena, and Curry dribbled upcourt as if he were playing in a pickup game at the local playground. No panic.. No rushing. Make a pass, move without the ball, start the offense.

Curry’s return to action, especially playing in concert with Thompson and Poole, helps explain why the Warriors are finding so many uncontested shots in this series.

“Jordan has been incredible, but with Steph that’s fear he’s earned over years and years and years of dragging people,” forward Draymond Green said. “The gravity Steph pulls, the attention he gets from the defense, that’s always going to be different.. He’s in year 13 and Jordan is in year 3.”

This whole concept, of Curry quickly regaining his touch in the postseason, is nothing new. He returned from injury to score 40 points against Portland in Game 4 of the 2016 conference semifinals. Two years later, he came back to score 28 in Game 2 of the conference semifinals against New Orleans.

This time, Curry announced his return to form Monday night in Game 2, when he scored 34 points in only 23 minutes. And then came Thursday night, when he again looked like he never left.

That’s not easy.

“It doesn’t take him long to find a rhythm,” Green said. “We’ve seen it over and over again. He just needs to see a couple shots going in … Some guys are just like that, and it doesn’t take them long. I think he does a great job of gaining a rhythm in his workouts. He’s just different, man.”

Curry entered Thursday night’s game with 6:58 left in the first quarter. Barely more than a minute later, with all the nonchalance of a man walking his dog, he stepped into a 3-pointer from 30 feet — and swished it, naturally.

Fast forward to the fourth quarter, with the outcome twisting in doubt, and Curry planted himself right in the center of the action. He scored seven points in the final five-plus minutes, starting with a smooth-as-silk 25-footer and culminating in a driving layup with 41 seconds left to stretch the Warriors’ lead to five points.

On that play, Curry used a crossover dribble to dart past Nikola Jokic and beat him to the rim. Curry punctuated the basket by briefly tilting his head toward both hands, as if he just put the Nuggets to bed (which he essentially did).

“Steph is totally calm in those circumstances,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “He wants the ball, wants the big shot. Draymond is going to make plays with him out there, and that’s what it takes: You have to have guys who are going to embrace the pressure.”

Thompson, who knows something about returning from injuries, was asked if his longtime backcourt partner seems like he’s already back to being himself.

“He missed two free throws, that was weird,” Thompson said. “Other than that, my goodness. He makes the really difficult look really easy.”

There’s an important subtext to Curry’s return. Warriors trainers, cautious about protecting his sprained left foot, imposed a minutes limit — apparently about 25 in each of the first two games, stretched a bit Thursday night (he played 30:45).

So Kerr has temporarily turned Curry into the most potent sixth man in NBA history. He came off the bench again Thursday night, allowing Kerr to use him to close each quarter. That strategy proved vital down the stretch, for the first time in this series.

And Curry, a two-time Most Valuable Player, offers not a peep of complaint. You think most big-name, high-profile players would do this in the playoffs? Think again. Curry’s flexibility and unselfishness set the tone for his team.

“Steph might be the most humble superstar there ever was,” Thompson said.

Equally important, he looked like himself again in Game 3. And when that happens, the possibilities become limitless for these Warriors.