Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry faces off against Washington Wizards whiz Bradley Beal in close race for NBA scoring leader.
Both Curry and Beal know a thing or two about carrying teams on their backs.
Curry’s insane statistics in April alone make you wonder why he’s not more frequently talked about in the MVP race, and Beal’s consistent Herculean performances have led the Wizards to their longest winning streak since Michael Jordan played for the team.
Game recognizes game, and at the moment, these two players are the top competitors vying for the league scoring title. After Beal dropped 45 points against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, he just edged Curry for most points per game. In 52 games, Beal has an average of 31.4 points per game, while Curry has an average of 31.3 points in 53 games.
Could they be any closer in performance? The answer is yes.
Across multiple statistical categories, Curry and Beal have nearly identical numbers, not to mention their respective teams are each seeded at No.10 in the two conferences.
Battle of the guards: Stephen Curry and Bradley Beal fight for league scoring leader
Pick a category, any category: field goal percentage? Curry shoots 48.9 percent from the field; Beal shoots 48.6 percent. Free throw percentage? Curry shoots 91.7 percent; Beal shoots 90 percent. Efficiency? Curry records a 29.4 rating; Beal records 26.5.
Put it this way: if a Warriors fan and a Wizards fan were to walk into a bar, they would have one of the pettiest arguments ever.
The one glaring difference is in three-point shooting, which Curry leads with an average of three more three-pointers made per game than Beal. Still, the battle between these players comes down to minute fractions of percentages and, like certain political elections, will likely be too close to call until the very end.
The seesaw-like competition between Curry and Beal draining bucket after bucket is enough to bring out the popcorn and watch two of the most entertaining stars play the game. With only so many more games to go before the play-in tournament, the Curry-Beal scoring rivalry is one competition we never knew we wanted.