The Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies battled Wednesday in the latest chapter of one of the NBA’s growing rivalries, but Stephen Curry was not allowed to take part in the final 74 seconds of the nail-biter due to one of the more bizarre ejections you’ll ever see. With 1:23 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Warriors leading by two, Klay Thompson missed a mid-range jumper that would have doubled the Warriors’ two-point lead. Donte DiVincenzo grabbed the offensive board and quickly passed to Jordan Poole, and that’s where things got out of hand.
With Curry calling for the ball, Poole threw up a quick 3-pointer. He missed. Curry, out of apparent frustration with Poole, angrily tossed his mouthpiece into the stands. The officials immediately ejected him from the game.
The ejection was the third of Curry’s career, and the other two were memorable for similar reasons. Both involved Curry throwing his mouthpiece. One came against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals. The other, ironically enough, came against these same Grizzlies in 2017.
“He knows he can’t make that mistake again,” coach Steve Kerr said after the game.
Fortunately for the Warriors, Curry’s absence did not cost them the game. Although the Grizzlies managed to tie the score twice, the Warriors were able to win on a thrilling layup by Poole off of an in-bounds pass with just one second left on the clock.
Poole shared his annoyance with the decision to eject Curry after the game. “There’s no reason he should be thrown out in the last three minutes of the game,” he said on the ESPN broadcast. “He’s one of the greatest players of all time.” Regardless of the outcome, the officials will face quite a bit of scrutiny for their decision to eject Curry. In a nationally televised game between two Western Conference rivals, the fans want stars like Curry on the floor, not ejected for brief displays of emotion.