Stephen Curry has been on quite a run since Jimmy Butler joined the Golden State Warriors. Last Thursday, he made 12 three-pointers in a 56-point explosion, and on Saturday — without Butler in the lineup — he threw down his first dunk in six seasons to go along with a season-high 13 assists. It seemed at times earlier this season that Father Time had finally caught up with Curry, but since Butler’s arrival, he’s averaging 30.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game on 51-43-90 shooting splits.
The Warriors have won seven of the eight games in which Butler has appeared, and Golden State is now tied with both the LA Clippers and the Minnesota Timberwolves for the sixth seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors have an excellent chance to pick up another win tonight against the tanking Charlotte Hornets.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Golden State is a 12.5-point favorite and the total is set for 228.5. Below, I’ve highlighted my prop bets centered around Curry.
Best Stephen Curry Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Stephen Curry 8+ First-Quarter Points (+100)
Charlotte has been an absolute disaster as of late, going just 1-9 over its last 10 games and posting a net rating of negative-19.6, the worst mark in the NBA over that span by more than 10 points per 100 possessions. For the season, the Hornets have had a roughly average defense, but in their last 10 games, that mark has dropped to the league’s ninth-worst. As is customary when a superstar is playing a team that is such a heavy underdog, I’m avoiding Curry’s full-game points total and instead focusing on his first-quarter prop.
Since Butler’s arrival, Curry has posted a team-leading 26.2% usage rate in the first-quarter, and he typically plays more than nine minutes of the frame, on average. Across that span, he has averaged 7.2 points in the opening quarter, nearly double that of any other Warrior. Since adding Butler, Curry has enjoyed his traditional third-quarter outburst, but besides that, the first quarter is his next-most prolific frame. He’ll also have the benefit of more matchups against Charlotte’s starting point guard, LaMelo Ball, who allows opponents to shoot 4.3 percentage points better than usual as the nearest defender.
Stephen Curry 2+ Steals (+185)
For all of Ball’s offensive strengths, he can be loose with his handle and is extremely prone to turnovers. In the Hornets’ most recent game, a 113-100 loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday, Ball coughed the ball up six times, and as a team, Charlotte is giving up the most steals per game over its last 10 games.
Plus, while Curry — a former steals champion — is averaging just 1.1 swiper per contest, the fourth-lowest rate of his career, his steal rate has improved from his previous two seasons. He has recorded two or more steals in three of his last seven games, and having an elite defender behind him in Butler might incentivize him to gamble for steals more than he otherwise might in a more mediocre overall defense. During his two MVP seasons — the only seasons in which he averaged two or more steals per game — Golden State was one of the best teams at defending shots within 10 feet. Similarly, this Warriors team has been the league’s fourth-best against interior shots since adding Butler.
