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Steph reveals 'best part' of first game back with Warriors - NBCSports.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins figured out things were different alongside Steph Curry two minutes into Thursday's 121-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors. 

Standing at the bottom of the key neatly tucked into Toronto's zone, he watched as Curry knifed through the zone in search of a lane. But as the guard looked towards the opposite sideline, the ball traveled behind his back into Wiggins' hands, leading to the Canadian's first bucket of the night and surprising him along the way.

"I didn't even know it was coming, really," Wiggins admitted hours later. "I was kind of watching like it may come, but then when he went behind the back I was just trying to catch it. It was a hell of a pass."

The rest of the Warriors locker room has had similar reactions in recent weeks as a healthy Curry finds footing with a new roster. Four of the 10 Golden State players who suited up Thursday had never played with Curry in a sanctioned game. Three others weren't on the roster last season, leading to the group's adjustment while playing alongside Golden State's franchise pillar. 

Ever the showman, Curry displayed spurts of organized chaos on his way to 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists Thursday. Along the way, he showed the flair most NBA observers are accustomed to. 

Two minutes into the second quarter, he drove to the lane on former teammate Patrick McCaw, gave a head fake and threw in a floater off the glass. Nearly 10 minutes later, rookie forward Eric Paschall threw an errant pass towards the scorers' table, promising a turnover. But the ball rolled to Curry, who raced from the baseline to catch, cock, load and can an off-balance trey with the shot clock expiring, leaving Chase Center in awe.

Curry kept it going a quarter later, running back to the top of the key, swishing a 3-pointer, drawing a foul and counting to four to predict the four-point play he would complete seconds later.

By the end of the third quarter, he helped the league's worst team get within one point of the reigning champs. 

"Just the shot-making ability," Warriors big man Marquese Chriss told NBC Sports Bay Area of how Curry impressed him. "I think that's the biggest thing. I've played with great shot-makers like Devin Booker and James Harden but nobody with the ability to shoot like that, where you cross halfcourt and you're in your zone."

"Even when he threw up that prayer at damn near the coach's box," Chriss added. "Stuff like that, you just have to understand that the play is never dead on plays with somebody like that. He can make a play out of nothing." 

Curry returned under circumstances he's not exactly used to. The Warriors, at the moment, own the worst record in the NBA. 

A far cry from the championship teams of Golden State's recent past, the Warriors' roster is populated with rookies, G League call-ups and 10-day experiments. IT's a trial-by-fire environment, and Curry's rehabilitation scrimmages provided his teammates with an important lesson: The two-time MVP won't stop, and neither should you. 

"You just can't let up," Juan Toscano-Anderson said. "I mean some guys when the ball is two, three passes away, you can stand up and look away. With him, you can't, you've got to stay locked in. As soon as you stand up defensively, he's taking off. As soon as you take an eye off him, you're taking off." 

Warriors coach Steve Kerr has had to make changes, too. Golden State's offense now is much more unpredictable with Curry back in the fold, and this year's Warriors aren't used to that.

"It's even an adjustment for me," Kerr explained. "This year we have called more plays without Steph, so there's a different rhythm to the game. When Steph is on the floor, we're not going to call as many plays, so guys have to get used to running down the floor and spacing, setting screens for him. Then it's going to be drive and kick. So, we've got to find the right rhythm now between those two things, when he's on the floor and when he's off the floor."

Wiggins is perhaps the biggest adjuster to Curry's orbit. The Warriors acquired the 2014 draft's No. 1 overall pick in a blockbuster swap at the trade deadline in large part because of his perceived fit as a secondary option alongside Curry.

Long considered a promising, yet inconsistent talent with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Wiggins believes the pairing with Curry will be beneficial.  

"I feel like I've adjusted well," Wiggins told NBC Sports Bay Area. "I've never played with anyone as good as him. By far, he's the best player that I've played with. Just getting a chance to learn from him and feeding off him and just learning." 

"I'm very excited," he added with a beaming smile. "He's an MVP player, one of the greats. He helped transition the game with his 3s and how fast he plays. So, I'm excited."

[RELATED: Steph reveals 'best part' of first game back with Warriors]

As Wiggins found out in the second quarter, Curry's talent provides credence to the saying "Stay ready so you ain't gotta get ready." But, more importantly, Curry's teammates consider it a privilege to play alongside him, making their adjustment even easier.

"It's cool to be in the NBA and no disrespect to any other teams, but I'm playing with the Warriors with Steph Curry," Toscano-Anderson said. "Not all teams have generational talents, and not all NBA players get a chance to play with them. So, I'm embracing it."  

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