Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday in New York City. Photo: VCG

Stephen Curry produced a three-point master class as the Golden State Warriors thrashed the Brooklyn Nets 117-99 to underscore their championship credentials on Tuesday.

Curry led the scoring with 37 points - 27 of them from outside the arc - to give the Warriors an emphatic win on the road over the Nets and former Golden State teammate Kevin Durant.

It was a superb all-round effort from the Warriors, who combined potent offense with a steely defensive display marshaled by Draymond Green.

Andrew Wiggins added 19 points and Jordan Poole 17 for the Warriors, who took the lead late in the first half and never relinquished it.

The Dubs' defense also had a big night, combining for eight blocks and four steals to keep the Nets offense at bay.

James Harden led the Brooklyn scoring with 24 points while ­Durant finished with 19 points. Bruce Brown added 14.

The win cemented Golden State's lead at the top of the Western Conference with a 12-2 record, and suggested that Steve Kerr's side are genuine championship contenders once more after missing out on the playoffs for the past two seasons.

"We're a good team and we're off to a great start," Curry said afterward. "We're building our identity and our chemistry. 

"It's a great defensive team that can also put the ball in the basket obviously."

Curry was also pleased with the Warriors' performance following a 106-102 loss to Charlotte on Sunday.

"This was a nice bounceback game for us," he said. "It's great for our young guys to see what it means to bring this type of effort every single night. Coming off a tough loss, how do you bounce back, how do you respond? Tonight we showed it."

Curry said the Warriors are also playing with a "chip on our shoulder" after difficult campaigns last season and in 2019-20 hampered by injuries to key personnel as well as the departure of Durant to Brooklyn.

"Coming in healthy this year we wanted to set our own narrative and our own agenda, which was playing Warrior basketball," he said. 

"We have so many talented guys that haven't even been available yet so it's going to be a great year for us to keep building. 

"We have that chip on our shoulder - come out every single night because we have championship DNA but it's been two years since we've been able to prove it."

Brooklyn head coach Steve Nash meanwhile believes his team still have work to do if they are to challenge for an NBA title this season.