(AFP) - Stephen Curry scored 37 points as the Golden State Warriors thrashed the San Antonio Spurs 120-90 in the first meeting between the two top NBA teams this season.
The reigning Most Valuable Player Curry drained five three-pointers as the Warriors shot 11-for-26 from beyond the arc.
"This was a team we hadn't played yet and the Spurs have been playing some great, great basketball so to have this kind of performance is huge," said Curry.
He played 28 minutes and did not set foot on the court in the fourth quarter, with Golden State in complete control.
Golden State's 39th straight home victory earned them a three-game lead over San Antonio in their duel for top seeding in the Western play-offs.
The Warriors and Spurs are considered the two top heavyweights, and each team knows they must go through the other to win the title.
"We got our butts kicked, that's for sure," said Spurs' Manu Ginobili.
Golden State is chasing the Chicago Bulls' NBA record - set between March 1995 and April 1996 - of 44 straight regular-season home wins.
The Warriors are the third team in history to win 39 straight at home.
The loss snapped a 13-game winning streak for the Spurs. They played without star forward Tim Duncan, who was resting an ailing right knee.
It was the worst loss for San Antonio since a 137-97 rout at the hands of Portland in February 2012.
"It was like men and boys. They beat us in every phase of the game. I am glad my general manager wasn't in the locker room or I might have gotten fired," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.
Curry, who hit 12 of his 20 shots overall, also had four assists and five steals for the Warriors.
Curry set the tone early, connecting on three three-pointers in a 15-point first period. When backup guard Shaun Livingston got into the act with five consecutive hoops in the second period, the game got away from the Spurs for good.
"We had so many assists on our shots that were created by ball movement and that is when we are at our best," Curry said.
Curry added 18 points to his total in the quarter while nearly outscoring San Antonio (19) single-handedly.
