Klay Thompson returned to the Bay, but Stephen Curry had the last splash

SAN FRANCISCO — It was rather early for his “Night, Night” celebration, the move Steph Curry does to declare a victory secured.

“I almost pulled a Si Woo Kim,” Curry said of the golfer who in September did the Golden State Warriors star’s signature after a clutch chip-in on hole No. 16 before eventually losing the Presidents Cup on hole No. 18.

“But thankfully, we were able to finish it. … Yeah, a little premature.”

Up four with 26.4 seconds remaining, after hitting Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II with a couple of crossovers before drilling a 3-pointer from the top, Curry’s international trademark appeared organically. Emotion made it hard to prioritize score and clock. The adrenaline and testosterone, the euphoria of supremacy, rendered win probability secondary.

A moment had been orchestrated. A message had been enunciated. It had to be punctuated.

So Curry roared at the raucous Chase Center crowd, thunderous enough this night to evoke memories of Oracle Arena. He tugged at the Golden State across his jersey and pounded his chest with a fist. Then he turned to the cameras, and into the eyes of millions, and let his competitive arrogance speak to anyone else who’d dare leave his side for greener pastures.

“You better stay here!” Curry yelled, emphasizing location with a double point to the hardwood on which he stood. “You better stay here!”

💥 STEPHEN CURRY 💥

NIGHT NIGHT 😴 pic.twitter.com/SZtkcgORWi

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 13, 2024

Tuesday night’s NBA Cup opener was all about Klay Thompson and the affinity he’s garnered from Warriors world.

Hundreds of Golden State employees lined his walkway into the arena. Thousands of fans donned a white sailor’s cap in his honor. After a one-minute tribute video, Thompson basked in a minute-long ovation featuring enough sentiment to crumble his facade of indifference.

As he’d done so many times before, Thompson sent a wave of chills through the arena. A Bay Area legend was back. A beloved cohort of a dynasty was home.

This night began as a ballad to Captain Klay. It ended with a reminder it was Curry’s ship.

“Yeah,” Thompson said after the game, “it hurts to be on the other side of one of his flurries. The guy got hot at the end and made some ridiculous shots. Being on the other end, it sucks.”

On the floor with at least five future Hall of Famers, Curry was the best player when it mattered most. Four months before he turns 37.

Down 114-108 with just over three minutes remaining, Curry ran off 10 straight points. Neither Luka Dončić nor Kyrie Irving nor Klay Thompson could answer Curry. He scored 12 points in the final 3:10.

He finished with a game-high 37 points — to go with his 9 assists and 6 rebounds — as the Warriors improved to 9-2 with a 120-117 win. Two nights after closing out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City, and Jayson Tatum in Boston before that, Curry again declared his eliteness.

Undoubtedly, he wanted his Splash Brother to hear him loudest. A mindset that honors their relationship, considering they are bonded by their competitive spirits as much as their shooting prowess.

Curry was determined not to give Thompson the satisfaction of victory. The overflow of admiration was enough. Curry stayed in the tunnel during the playing of the tribute video, dodging the emotion he was sure to feel. Likewise, Draymond Green got the video delivered to him early so he could watch it and get the feels out of the way. Curry didn’t even talk to Thompson until a pregame hug right before tipoff.

On the first play of the game, Thompson took Curry into the post, endeavoring to use his height advantage over the point guard. He drew a foul on Curry, who was aggressive and physical because, as Green said, he wanted to take the ball from Klay.

“I blacked out on that one,” Curry said. “I wasn’t going to let him score and I fouled him.”

He got the steal the next time Thompson posted him, stripping him under the basket. A third time, Curry forced Thompson into a bad shot.

This is gonna take some getting used to 😳 pic.twitter.com/95RPyz4HAJ

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 13, 2024

When Curry dropped in a floater in the second quarter, drawing the foul on Thompson in the process, he shot a taunting stare at his former backcourt mate.

“I knew he’d come in ready to go,” Green said. “But when you see him express that type of emotion, everybody else just falls in line. I try to lead in that category. When he’s up, I move to the side, let him do his thing and be his support. He was absolutely incredible tonight, and I knew he’d be locked in from the get-go.”

Coincidentally, in denying Klay, Curry underscored that he doesn’t have (a) Klay.

Golden State outscored Dallas by 24 points in Curry’s 35 minutes. In the 13 minutes he sat, the Mavericks outscored the hosts by 21 points.

The Warriors find themselves on this promising start because of their depth. But the league’s highest-scoring bench — which still outscored Dallas’ bench, 42-22 — struggled to score when Curry sat. And with Green and Andrew Wiggins mostly resting with him, the Warriors’ bench was overwhelmed by the dynamism of Dončić and Irving. And Klay.

Jonathan Kuminga, who finished with 16 points, is the best bench option to be an offensive anchor, but his opportunities are limited by minutes and sometimes lineups. Buddy Hield, who is featured offensively, was effective inside the arc but is not as potent when he’s not raining 3s. The Replacement Splash Brother has been revelatory this season but was 2-for-8 in the matchup against his predecessor, and the Warriors’ offense suffered.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks could stagger their stars and keep a threat on the court. And Thompson gives them a potent third option when he’s on. And Tuesday he was on, to the tune of 6-for-12 from 3 and 22 points. He came into the game having made 2 of 13 the previous two games.

He scored eight points in the fourth quarter, including two open 3s in front of the Warriors’ bench. The first was over a closeout from Curry, who sagged off Thompson too far. The second put the Mavericks ahead 110-105 with 5:17 remaining. And it unleashed the verbal and physical banter on his former shipmates.

𝑺𝑷𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑯 💦 pic.twitter.com/JG6NB3p1IJ

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) November 13, 2024

“He did a little terrible shimmy,” Green said. “It was awful.”

“He knows better than that,” Curry said.

Certainly, Curry knew he’d hear it from his fellow dynasty engineer if Thompson came home and got the dub against the Dubs. Watching Thompson stunt on them was even more motivation. The reigning Western Conference champions would now have to deal with Commodore Curry.

Ahead a point, just over 30 seconds remaining, Curry jogged up court as the tension crescendoed. He burned away precious seconds with a string of between-the-leg dribbles, waiting for the perfect time to attack. One screen got Dončić switched onto Curry. Then a second screen put Lively in his sights. Curry found his prey.

He pounded two dribbles while hopping right, setting up a sudden crossover left, getting Lively’s momentum going in that direction. Then Curry yanked a crossover back to his right, lining himself up for a dead-on 3-pointer from the top.

This splash was for Klay.

“That’s my guy, my friend, my road dog for 13 years,” Curry said. “There’s a lot of history, so you’re going to have a lot of back and forth. Some of it was competitive, some of it was fun. … It was an unreal night, for sure, all the way around.”

Almost immediately after his postgame interview, Thompson was back in his old confines. Fully dressed, wearing his captain’s hat, he hung out in the weight room and practice court he once roamed. Spending time with players and coaches and trainers on his former team. The rivalry had morphed back into brotherhood.