SAN FRANCISCO — As soon as Bradley Beal lunged for the steal to try to keep the ball from Stephen Curry with 3.3 seconds left, the Phoenix guard knew it was a bad gamble.
“He’s the best to ever shoot it,” Beal said. “So you know the result after that.”
Brandin Podziemski’s inbounds pass reached Curry. And with Beal out of the play, Curry hit a 33-footer to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Suns 113-112 on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024 (PH time), for their fourth straight victory and sixth in seven games.
It was Curry’s 10th career winning shot with five seconds or under.
“I just tried to get it to him,” Podziemski said. “No matter
how long it took.”
Curry was able to turn and said it was “just muscle memory to shoot.”
“You live with it,” Curry said. “Thankfully, it worked out.”
Curry finished with 30 points, making nine 3-pointers.
“Only a shot that I think he would take,” Podziemski said. “A regular person would probably take a dribble or something like that.”
The Warriors have played in six games decided by one point and are 17-18 in their league-leading 35 clutch games this season. All four games against the Suns this season were clutch games.
“We were due,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We were due for one of these tight games to go our way. But the guys earned it. It didn’t just happen.”
Devin Booker led Phoenix with 32 points, and Kevin Durant had 24. The Suns had two chances after Curry’s 3-pointer, but Booker was fouled under the basket on the first and Durant couldn’t get a shot off on the second.
Durant, who won two championships as Curry’s teammate on the Warriors, knew all too well what an open shot for Curry meant.
“You give him a look like that for the game, he’s licking his chops,” Durant said. “I still think we could’ve had that steal. It’s a tough play. Sometimes guys are just that great.”