There was drama in the NBA’s final game on Thursday, with Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry ejected in a 122-120 win against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Curry had been coming up clutch like he usually does in the latter stages of games, scoring 10 points in six minutes in the final quarter as the Warriors and Grizzlies played out a thrilling finish.
But just as it looked like the clutch king would have the final say on the result, Curry was suddenly ejected by the referees, visibly stunned as he argued against the call.
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Thu, 26 Jan
Thursday January 26th
Replays would later show Curry calling for the ball when Jordan Poole had possession, only for his teammate to pass him up and unsuccessfully attempt the 3-pointer himself.
With Golden State only up 116-114 at that point and with just over one minute on the clock, a frustrated Curry then threw his mouth piece.
In the end though Poole redeemed himself, scoring the game-winning layup with one second on the clock.
“There’s no reason he should be thrown out in the last three minutes of the game,” Poole said post-game.
“He’s one of the greatest players of all time. I don’t know what happened. I think something to do with his mouth piece.”
Curry led the way for the Warriors with 34 points, while Poole finished the game scoring 21 to go with seven assists and five rebounds.
“He knows he can’t make that mistake,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said post-game.
“To win the game after the Steph ejection was great. I liked the execution down the stretch.”
Curry, meanwhile, said his actions put the team “in a tough place” and that he was grateful his teammates “responded extremely well” without him.
Ja Morant was the best of the bunch on the offensive end for the Grizzlies, scoring 29 points to go with 13 assists while also managing two steals.
All five of Memphis’ starters finished the game in double figures, but Golden State’s 3-point shooting advantage (43.8 percent versus 32.3 percent) was a key difference between the two sides.
The loss sees the second-placed Grizzlies drop to 31-17, behind the 34-15 Nuggets who were undermanned earlier today when they went down to the Bucks 107-99.
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