Steph the victor in battle of separated ‘Splash Brothers’

Steph the victor in battle of separated ‘Splash Brothers’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – No figurative fratricide can be sweeter than it was Tuesday night at Chase Center, where at the end both brothers stand hugging each other.

Stephen Curry had rescued the reeling Warriors, surviving the attempted vengeance of longtime backcourt partner Klay Thompson.

The Warriors get the 120-117 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, with “Splash Brother” Steph getting the W and “Splash Brother” Klay taking the L. Literally.

“We did our pregame scout,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, “and we went through the matchups and it’s almost surreal saying, ‘Steph, you got Klay.’ And Steph smiled as soon as he saw the matchups.”

It was, from 2011-12 through 2023-24, Steph and Klay side by side in the backcourt, slashing and gashing opposing defenses together, going to five consecutive All-Star games together, going to five consecutive NBA Finals together. “Splash Brothers” on the court, blood brothers in life.

And now on opposite sides. Steph finished with 37 points, closing out the Mavericks in the fourth quarter. Klay finished with 22 points, including a couple 3-pointers from which he took particular glee.

The game, like the evening, had the kind of cinematic flourish one could want from a wonderful movie. A stirring beginning, with the pregame ceremony celebrating Klay’s first return to the Bay Area, this time as a lovable antagonist. An adored protagonist in Steph. Bodies crashing to the floor, only to rise again. A sellout crowd, wearing white Captain’s caps in honor of Klay, on its feet for the final minutes. Nerves bouncing off walls.

“It was a memorable night for sure,” Steph said. “Even from July, when Klay decided to go to Dallas, to us showing up for training camp and him not being here, there was kind of a slow build to this night for everybody because it was such a different look for us, Klay in a new uniform.

“Granted, we won, so I can say this. But I couldn’t imagine this going any other way, where he played well, the crowd got an amazing show, it went down…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/steph-victor-battle-separated-splash-081118653.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-11-13 08:21:00

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