‘Nonchalant’ does not begin to describe Stephen Curry‘s lob pass to Gary Payton II in Golden State’s dramatic 141-139 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
The highly competitive matchup was part of the NBA‘s inaugural in-season tournament, conceivably giving the game added significance. But instead of dogged professionalism, Curry casually pulled off an effortless alley-oop pass – the kind of maneuver that could get a player benched in the likely event that it resulted in a turnover.
Instead, Curry’s one-handed, no-look lob from beyond the 3-point arc caught the entire Thunder frontcourt by surprise.
Oblivious to Payton’s backdoor cut towards the basket, Oklahoma City’s 7-foot rookie Chet Holmgren was late reacting to the pass. As a result, he had a front-row seat to witness Payton float to the rim, catch the ball with two hands at his chest, and throw down an easy reverse jam to push the Warriors’ lead to 50-44.
‘And the showmanship of Steph Curry – the no-look hook pass,’ one announcer said.
For Curry, a future Hall of Famer known more for his shooting than his passing, the lob was one of seven assists on the night. He also added a game-high 30 points, including the game-winning layup at the final buzzer.
‘Greatest point guard of all time,’ one fan wrote on X in response to the highlight.
‘Steph a underrated passer man,’ added another.
One fan argued that Curry is now a better point guard than Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson: ‘I think we all agree curry has surpassed magic at this point.’
Curry’s game-winning layup was initially waived off because of offensive goaltending. However, the call was overturned, and the Warriors claimed their second straight last-second victory.
On Wednesday, Klay Thompson scored with less than a second remaining to seal a win over Sacramento.
Dario Saric scored 20 points and Chris Paul had 13 assists for Golden State, which improved to 5-1.
Lu Dort scored 29 points, Chet Holmgren scored 24 and Josh Giddey scored 14 of 18 in the fourth quarter for the Thunder.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City’s leading scorer this season, sat out with a sprained left knee.
Golden State hit seven 3s in the first quarter to take a 38-33 lead. Saric scored 11 points as a reserve in the period.
Golden State hit six more 3-pointers in the second quarter to lead 69-67 at halftime. Thompson’s leaning 3-pointer at the buzzer was called no good on the floor, and that ruling held up after review.
Dort scored 11 points in just over four minutes at the start of the third quarter to give the Thunder an 85-80 lead.
The Warriors rallied, and the game was tied at 106 heading into the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma City’s Isaiah Joe hit a 3-pointer and was fouled with 9:15 to go. He made the free throw to give the Thunder a 118-115 lead, and the game remained close the rest of the way.