An epic showdown between Stephen Curry and LeBron James decorated the Saturday night game.
However, the Los Angeles Lakers edged the Golden State Warriors in a heart-stopping double overtime, scoring 145-144.
With Curry leading the game, flaunting an impressive point tally of 46 made from 17-of-35 field attempts, he did not halt there.
He further proved his mettle by shooting nine 3-pointers and even established a one-point lead for the Warriors with less than 5 seconds remaining in the second overtime.
However, the tables turned when James suffered a foul with only 1.2 seconds remaining and scored the decisive free-throws.
Feeling the sting of defeat, Curry exited the court noticeably peeved, with cameras in the Crypto.com Arena catching him in the act of tearing his jersey in anger as he headed for the locker room.
This provided fodder for fans on X (previously known as Twitter) to tease about the Warriors' loss to the Lakers.
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Further exacerbating Curry's fervor was his discontent with the perceived unfair officiating. He pointed out the disparity in free throws awarded, with the Warriors only having shot 16 compared to the Lakers' 43 attempts.
Curry vented his ire in a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle, saying "You want to be in the place where the players decide the game or it's consistent on both ends of what you're calling."
He continued by specifying "There were probably three plays that I was involved in where it was a clear bad call."
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Curry and James reflect on rivalry, Kerr raises eyebrows on free throws discrepancy
Curry shared his thoughts on his competition with James during the post-game interview. He said, "'s fascinating that we maintain these annual alternating victories, numerous finals, and last year's playoffs.
After the game's conclusion, we chuckled because we could hardly envision a game like tonight's occurring in James' 21st year and my 15th."
Concerning other veteran players like Kevin Durant and Chris Paul who have remained in the NBA for over 15 years, Curry said it's unbelievable.
Curry continued, "While you enjoy these clashes, you value the reciprocal regard for the consistent effort required at this level. Only a handful of people comprehend the magnitude of this task and I'm glad to be among them"
James, who scored 36 points, also appreciated the moment. He said, "This is a story for my grandchildren about how I competed with one of the greatest to ever play. I hope by then, I'll be cool to my grandchildren."
Steve Kerr left no room for misunderstandings concerning his feelings following the Warriors' double overtime loss to the Lakers on Saturday.
Kerr highlighted the bias in free throws during the post-game press conference, favoring the Lakers by 43-16.
Nonetheless, he restrained himself from commenting further, joking, "I might remark on their 43 free throws against our 16. But my mother is here, so I ought to behave.
Hence, I won't discuss their 43 free throws to our 16 or Curry's three in 43 minutes."
AdvertisementThe Warriors were leading till 5.2 seconds remained in the double overtime game when LeBron James successfully attracted a foul, scored two free throws, and snatched the victory for the Lakers with the final score of 145-144.
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