Stephen Curry has the singular ability to warp the behavior of everyone around him on the basketball court, and the way that he breaks defenses was apparent in the Golden State Warriors’ first playoff game without Kevin Durant.

It was one of the defining games of this Warriors dynasty. Curry scored 33 points on the Houston Rockets in the second half, but his first half was revealing for the exact opposite reason. When he went to the locker room at halftime, Curry still hadn’t scored a single point.

The...