This week in 2009: Stephen Curry debuts with 14 points, 7 assists and 4 steals as the Rockets edge the Warriors 108-107

Stephen Curry played his first NBA game on Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 17 years ago this week, and the Golden State Warriors lost 108-107 to the Houston Rockets at Oracle Arena in Oakland. The No. 7 pick from Davidson finished with 14 points, seven assists and four steals, a solid night that gave no hint he would one day change how the whole league plays.

A careful start, a strong finish

Curry started at point guard for coach Don Nelson and played 35 minutes and 39 seconds in front of 19,596 fans. He made 7 of his 12 shots, but almost none of that came early. A San Jose Mercury News column by Tim Kawakami noted that the rookie missed five of his first six attempts and was taken out early in the third quarter, even though he had already set up four of the Warriors’ first nine baskets.

The rest of his line was quieter than the legend that followed. He took only one three-pointer and missed it. He did not attempt a free throw. He added two rebounds and two turnovers, and his four steals were the most by any player on either team.

Monta Ellis led Golden State with 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting, and Stephen Jackson added 17 on a night when the home crowd booed him after his request for a trade. Kelenna Azubuike scored 13 off the bench on 6 of 7, and Corey Maggette had 10 points and nine rebounds but made only 3 of 14 shots.

How Houston stole it

The Warriors led 62-52 at halftime. Houston, playing without the injured Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, won the third quarter 35-19 and held on in a tight finish. Trevor Ariza scored 25 points with four three-pointers, Luis Scola had 21 points and 11 rebounds on 10-of-16 shooting, and Aaron Brooks added 18 points and 12 assists. A young Kyle Lowry came off the Rockets’ bench for four points.

What it led to

The first season was hard on the team and kind to the rookie. Golden State finished 26-56 and missed the playoffs for a third straight year, but Curry played 80 games, started 77 and averaged 17.5 points, 5.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He shot 46.2 percent from the field, 43.7 percent from three and 88.5 percent at the line, and he closed the season with 42 points at Portland on April 14, 2010.

He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Sacramento’s Tyreke Evans, 491 points to 391, with 43 of the 123 first-place votes. In the years after, the guard who missed his only three on debut night became the most prolific three-point shooter in league history, won two MVP awards and led the Warriors to four championships.

On the night it began, he was the second-best scorer in his own backcourt and lost by a point. The four steals and the seven assists were the clues; the shooting came later, and it never really stopped.