Superstar Steph Curry made an early mark on the inaugural NBA in-season tournament on Friday, beating the buzzer to lift the Golden State Warriors over the Oklahoma City Thunder, 141-139.
With the two teams locked up 139-139 and the final seconds of the fourth-quarter clock ticking down, Curry drove to the hoop before laying in the game-winner as time expired.
STEPH WITH 0.2 SECONDS ON THE CLOCK
— NBA In-Season Tournament (@NBA) November 4, 2023
WARRIORS WIN THEIR FIRST IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT GAME pic.twitter.com/JQ8LJk5wj0
The buzzer-beater was controversial, however. As Curry's ball was going through the basket, Dubs teammate Draymond Green touched the rim. Typically, the goaltending charge would have meant that the basket didn't count. However, upon review, officials deemed OKC guard Josh Giddey grabbed the net before Draymond touched the rim, so Curry's basket stood.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 4, 2023
Curry led all scorers with 30 points, shooting 9-of-15 from the floor, 5-of-10 from three and 7-of-7 from the free throw line. He also added a team-high in rebounds (8) and assists (7) during the Warriors win.
When he wasn't draining buckets, Curry was dishing out eye-popping helpers, including a nonchalant, one-handed lob to Gary Payton II for a reverse jam in the first half.
STEPH NO-LOOK LOB TO GP2 pic.twitter.com/bGUVRWtOKc
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 4, 2023
Curry's last-second heroics on Friday come only a day after Klay Thompson hit a game-winner with 0.2 seconds left to help the Warriors top the Sacramento Kings.
With Friday's win, the Warriors improved to 1-0 in the in-season tournament and 5-1 in the regular season as a whole. They'll resume their Group C play on Nov. 14, hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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