I want to draw your attention to an incredible sequence late in the Golden State Warriors‘ 125-120 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
The Warriors ran a high pick-and-roll near mid-court to give Stephen Curry a chance to go downhill at Victor Wembanyama with a full head of steam. Curry snaked around the screen, started driving to his left, then crossed over between his legs on a dime to go right instead.
Curry’s quick change of direction fooled the Frenchman. Wembanyama was still shifting toward the middle of the floor, and Curry attacked his front foot. It was technically perfect from Curry, and at that moment he should have had a major advantage. And against almost every other big man in the league, he would have.
But Curry didn’t even bother to continue his drive and attack the rim, in part because Luke Kornet was already standing under the rim. Instead he darted backward, and tried to slip Wembanyama with another change of pace move. It didn’t work, so he gave up the ball and forced Wembanyama to chase him around the perimeter.
Again, this should have worked. Seven-foot-four players are not supposed to be able to keep up with Curry’s off-ball movement, but that’s just what Wembanyama did. He then cut off another Curry drive with the help of Devin Vassell, which left Draymond Green open in the lane. Wembanyama rushed back to stifle Green, who kicked the ball out to Gary Payton II. The lefty guard drove at Kornet’s closeout and thought he had a layup, but Wembanyama was there again to force a miss.
As Wembanyama sprinted down the other end of the floor, he caught a pass from Stephon Castle, and had a chance to go at Green in the open court. He crossed over, drove into the paint, got stonewalled at the rim by Moses Moody and Green, but simply reached over them to grab the offensive rebound and convert a putback.
Wembanyama also blocked a 3-point attempt from Green by jumping from inside the paint, and finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his fourth career triple-double. Together with Castle, who put up 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, they became the first Spurs duo to record triple-doubles in the same game.
And yet, none of that was enough to win.
Curry got the last laugh in the end, as he iced the game at the free throw line to finish with a season-high 46 points on 13 of 25 from the field, including 15 of 16 at the line. It was his 12th 40-point game since turning 35, tying him with Michael Jordan. (LeBron James holds the all-time lead with 15 such games.) But of course Curry is never just about scoring. He added five rebounds and five assists Wednesday night to record his 12th career game with at least 45 points, five rebounds and five assists. Only 11 players in NBA history have more such games.
Twenty-two of Curry’s 46 points came during the third quarter when he led a major Warriors comeback. Curry was unstoppable in the frame. He got to the line at will and made tough shot after tough shot, including two mid-range jumpers — one from each wing — that he banked in on purpose. The Spurs had controlled the first half and were up by as many as 16 at one point, but thanks to Curry’s barrage, the Warriors won the third quarter 43-28 to take the lead for good.
Wembanyama’s flashes of absurd brilliance are the league’s hottest new commodity — and rightfully so — but there’s still nothing like a Curry hot streak. No one knows that better than Wembanyama himself, who has seen what Curry can do firsthand on two continents.
Curry, now 37, remains one of the faces of the NBA, alongside his two main peers, James (40) and Kevin Durant (37). Their longevity, though impressive, has created a sense of existential angst about who will eventually take their place and carry the league into the future.
“Not much at all,” Curry said, when asked by The Athletic earlier this season how often he thinks about who the next face of the league will be. “That stuff takes care of itself.”
“You got to be more than just a great player,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr added. “You have to have charisma, you have to have grace, you have to have a connection that the fans feel. And a connection that sort of transcends fandom. Like everybody’s a LeBron fan, and everybody’s a Steph fan — everybody was a Michael fan.”
Wembanyama has the talent and the intangibles to step into the void, and we saw plenty of evidence Wednesday that the league will be in good hands whenever Curry and his peers retire. We also got another reminder that this proud older generation isn’t going away without a fight.
Wembanyama may be in line for the mantle, but it won’t be given to him. He’s going to have to take it.
