The hope behind the In-Season Tournament is that it would add some excitement to the early season games that can often fly under the radar. During the first night of competition, there were a few matchups that served as a pretty good proof of concept, with the best of the bunch being the matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder in Group C play.
It was a close, tense affair with neither team really being able to pull away from the other. Ultimately, the veteran Warriors were able to knock off the upstart Thunder, 141-139, thanks to some last-second heroics by Steph Curry. With things tied up at 139, Curry had the ball on the perimeter against the stout Lu Dort, but was able to get by him and make his way to the rim, where he had to throw a layup high enough to get over the outstretched arms of Chet Holmgren. He managed to do just that and banked it in with 0.2 seconds remaining.
STEPH WITH 0.2 SECONDS ON THE CLOCK
WARRIORS WIN THEIR FIRST IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT GAME
pic.twitter.com/JQ8LJk5wj0
— NBA In-Season Tournament (@NBA) November 4, 2023
The referees originally determined that there was basket interference by Draymond Green, but after a review, it was determined that it counted as a Curry layup. On the night, Golden State’s MVP scored 32 points on 10-for-16 shooting with eight rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/warriors-beat-thunder-in-season-tournament-opener-steph-curry-layup/
