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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry gave fans plenty to talk about Friday night during an NBA Cup matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. His one-on-one encounter with Luka Dončić produced one of the game’s most memorable moments.
The play came as Golden State fought back from a 25-point deficit at Chase Center, with both stars trading baskets in the third quarter.
Dončić scored 21 points in the first quarter as the Lakers raced to a 38-15 lead. Golden State responded with a 38-15 second quarter, setting up a close contest after halftime.
With 6:22 left in the third, Curry isolated Dončić and worked him with a string of dribble moves until the former Dallas Mavericks star lost his footing and fell to the floor. The two-time MVP stepped back and buried a 24-foot 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to 69-63.
Hoop Central posted the clip: “Steph Curry drops Luka Doncic. Oh my goodness.”
One fan reacted, writing: “Curry cleans the floor with Luka.”
Hoop Central added: “Steph Curry is a bad man. This is crazy.”
The Warriors guard later admitted he hadn’t expected Dončić to go down. “I was just trying to get a little bit of space. I didn’t expect it to get that nasty… I haven’t been that open in a long time.”
Legion Hoops also shared the highlight: “Steph Curry made Luka touch the earth. Oh my.”
Another fan remarked, “Broke his ankles for life.”
A third reaction was brief: “Oh my God.”
Another fan offered a much broader assessment of Curry: “Nobody has ever been better than Wardell.”
The crossover was part of a strong shooting night for Curry, who finished with 31 points and made 8 of his 14 attempts from beyond the arc. He had scored 44 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves two nights earlier.
Dončić answered the move with a 27-foot step-back 3-pointer on the next possession. The Lakers star finished with a game-high 37 points, but Los Angeles scored just 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Curry has now passed Dominique Wilkins for 18th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 26,674 points in all. Next up is Oscar Robertson’s tally of 26,710, and DeMar DeRozan’s 26,763.
Golden State won 112-95, setting the largest margin of victory in the shot-clock era by a team that trailed by at least 20 points at the end of the first quarter. The previous mark was a 14-point Warriors victory over the Chicago Bulls in 1976.