Curry outdueled Morant and scored 34 points before being ejected with 1:14
remaining in another thrilling game between the rivals who played last year in the
Western Conference semifinals won by the Warriors in six games.
Curry hit a tying jumper with 2:18 left and made three free throws at the 1:55 mark.
He wasn’t around for the finish after firing the mouthpiece into the stands. Crew
chief Sean Wright confirmed the reasoning to a pool reporter: “Stephen Curry takes
his mouth piece and throws into the stands with force, as per rule, that is an
automatic ejection.”
“He knows he can’t make that mistake,” coach Steve Kerr said. “To win the game after
the Steph ejection was great. I liked the execution down the stretch.”
Read Also:Klay Thompson ejected in Phoenix Suns win over Golden State Warriors
Afterward, Curry was in the hallway eager to greet Poole with a celebratory hug.
Poole had launched a 30-footer with nearly a full shot clock and Curry open, and
Curry didn’t like it.
Curry said the way the season has gone there’s a “heightened sense of urgency of how
every detail matters.”
“The way that we responded after that shows just how much it matters to us,” Curry
said.
Brandon Clarke had a tying dunk with 6.3 seconds left for Memphis on a pass from
Morant after Thompson’s 3-pointer with 14.6 remaining put the Warriors ahead.
Thompson then missed a rushed baseline jumper with five seconds to play, but
Golden State got the ball out of bounds.
Morant wound up with 29 points and 12 assists after missing a game with an ankle
injury. He converted a pair of free throws with 26.6 seconds left to put Memphis
ahead before Thompson’s big 3.
Desmond Bane added 20 points for the Grizzlies in a balanced effort to help lessen
the sting of losing durable big man Steven Adams for the foreseeable future with a
knee injury.
