The Steph Curry Show perfectly featured his 35-year-old co-stars originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Steph Curry leaned to his left, slowly walking out of frame from the bottom left corner as he watched the ball perfectly splash through the net.
The 3-pointer gave him a dozen on the night, also awarding him with 50 points to put the Warriors ahead by one point as only three minutes remained on the clock in an eventual 134-125 win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night at FedExForum, pushing Golden State to the No. 5 playoff seed in the Western Conference.
Curry scored 52 points on 16-of-31 shooting and made 12 of his 20 3-point attempts, adding 10 rebounds, eight assists and five steals as an exclamation to his latest heroics. The 37-year-old was the star of the show, the leading man for all of us to still marvel at in his 16th season. His 12th and final triple of the night also highlighted why the Warriors believe they have the right 35-year-old co-stars around him.
Draymond Green caught Brandin Podziemski’s pass from the left wing and didn’t have to think twice. Playing his 13th season as Curry’s running mate, Green knew exactly where he’d be and when. As Green hauled in Podziemski’s pass, he already was in his own passing motion for Curry, who was sprinting through the paint to reach the left corner for three points.
It was who was next to him, and his subtle nuance of basketball smarts, that deserves recognition and appreciation. Jimmy Butler, running along the baseline, looked to be right in step with Curry. Maybe even in his way. But Butler gets it. He sees things. He knows what the right play is, nearly every time.
And in this instance, the right play was making room for Curry – clearing space by screening Ja Morant and getting in the way of Santi Aldama. Curry only needs a crack to let it fly. He had a whole lane, thanks to Butler.
Those are the kinds of plays that don’t show up in the box score, yet ultimately lead to winning.
“Jimmy saved our season,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said to reporters in Memphis after the win. “The trade saved our season. Everybody knows that, but you watch what he did tonight – 12 for 12 from the line. Steph goes off the floor, we’re running everything through him. Just a big-time defender, big-time two-way player. … As Steph talked about, he wanted to play meaningful basketball again, and he’s getting to do that.
“We’re all getting to do that, and it’s a lot of fun.”
The spotlight and all the headlines belonged to Curry. Rightfully so. Butler also was fantastic, scoring 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and had six rebounds, four assists and three steals. He made all 12 of his free throws and now has made 10 or more free throws six times in the 23 games he has played for the Warriors. His basketball IQ down the stretch was off the charts.
First, he found a way to get NBA All-Star and 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. off the floor with two minutes to go in the game and the Warriors only up by one point. Knowing Jackson had five fouls, Butler baited him into a sixth mid-shot and then made both free throws to give the Warriors a three-point lead.
Then, not even a minute later, Butler’s swipe-down steal on Ja Morant led to Moses Moody’s game-sealing 3-pointer. Let the party in Grind City commence.
“Playoff Jimmy, ya know,” Kerr said. “It’s a real thing. He’s a big-time, big-game performer at both ends. So much of that comes down to IQ, your basketball IQ. Obviously he’s got a lot of gifts. Incredibly strong and really fluid athlete, but to me, it’s his brain that puts him over the top.
“The pump fake on Jaren was kind of the play of the game, to me.”
The dagger drained by Moody was off Green’s 12th assist of the game. Though he always does a little bit of everything, Green recorded his first triple-double of the season, totaling 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. He assisted five of Curry’s 12 threes, and his 12 assists accounted for 31 points.
The Warriors now are 31-2 all-time when Green has a triple-double.
Winning time is when dogs like Butler and Green are let off their leash. In the fourth quarter, Butler scored 10 points, made all six of his free throws and was a plus-10 in 10 minutes. Green was a plus-12 in just under 10 minutes, grabbing six rebounds and dishing four assists.
Any kind of curtain call was made for Curry. His co-stars, Butler and Green, could take a bow right alongside him.
