Don’t tell Steph Curry that he can’t be Steph Curry anymore, just because he’s almost 36.
The NBA’s all-time greatest shooter had arguably another all-time moment to save Golden State’s season in a critical win over Phoenix on Sunday (AEDT).
Trailing by two points with 3.3 seconds remaining, the Warriors’ inbounds pass to Curry was poor, forcing him to scramble just to reach the ball.
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He quickly launched a shot from 29 feet and drained the three to seal the victory in the last second.
“What to do to catch up after this kind of pass and be in balance? Come on,” said ESPN analyst Doris Burke.
The win keeps the Warriors in touch with the playoff race, now 10th with a 25-25 record, while the Suns are sixth in the West in the midst of a less-than-spectacular season for one of the favorites in the title.
The 76ers collapse to the 8th defeat in 9 games | 00:49
SIMMONS HIGH SEASON WITH A DAZZLING DISPLAY
Ben Simmons had his best offensive performance to date in the Brooklyn Nets’ 123-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
In just his fifth game after a lengthy injury absence, Simmons finished with 13 points, three rebounds and five assists.
Simmons’ 13 points were also his biggest of the season, breaking his previous high of 11 points against Charlotte in October.
Simmons’ array of offensive skills were on display for all to see, including a delicious 10-foot fadeaway early in the fourth quarter.
The Australian drove the ball over San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson before coming back inside and firing a shot while dropping back to elude Dominick Barlow.
Simmons also had a thunderous dunk in the third quarter when he produced a perfect give-and-go with completely unguarded ghost Day’Ron Sharpe before latching onto a floater pass to slam the ball into the hoop.
Not everything has been perfect for the Australian, however, as he leads the Nets in turnovers with four.
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OKC COACH JUMPS TO GIDDEY’S DEFENSE AMID AUSSIE STAR’S SHOOTING WOES
Josh Giddey’s shooting woes were on full display as the Oklahoma City Thunder lost 146-111 to the Dallas Mavericks.
Giddey finished the contest with just 11 points while missing 11 shots on 14 attempts (21.4 percent), including six missed three-point attempts.
It’s not like his shots are supremely difficult, either.
One such moment occurred during the third quarter when the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren passed the ball to Giddey, who was wide open in the left corner of the court.
Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic didn’t even bother trying to stop Giddey, who sent his effort to the rim.
This wasn’t the first time a team didn’t feel the need to close down space on Giddey every time he had his eyes wide open.
However, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault felt the Australian still played his role effectively, as he wanted to create “diversity of attacks” to keep teams guessing.
“I mean, we’ve seen it all year, so it’s not new to us,” Daigneault said during his post-game press conference.
“We want to have a diversity of attacks against him, which includes cutting, including using him (Giddey) as a screen depending on who the five is. We thought that was effective today.
“And then he just has to shoot when he has the open shot.
“It was effective today for a number of reasons besides him. We’ve seen him a lot, we’ve attacked him well in the past. We must continue to learn from this and continue to grow.
Aside from Giddey’s shooting woes, the Thunder offense was largely kept quiet by the Mavericks as superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied just 25 points, while Chet Holmgren posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
On the other hand, the Mavericks had an offensive explosion, dominating the Thunder 75-49 in the second half.
At the center of the assault were Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who racked up 32 and 25 points respectively while Daniel Gafford chipped in with a respectable 19 points.
As for Australian gun Josh Green, he only finished with six points, two rebounds and two assists.
FULL NBA SCORES
Mavericks 146-111 Thunder
112-106 Piston Mowers
Nets 123-103 Spurs
Wizards 113-119 Sixers
Hornets 115-106 Grizzlies
Magic 114-108 Bulls (OT)
Knicks 111-125 Pacers
Raptors 95-119 Cavaliers
Falcons 122-113 Rockets
Warriors 113-112 Suns
Trail Blazers vs. Pelicans
