The last time Steph Curry and Victor Wembanyama met, it was during the Paris Olympics gold medal game. That time, the rookie phenom was heartbroken after the veteran and Team USA defeated his France national team to win gold. Today, they met for the first time since that battle in the NBA.
The Golden State Warriors traveled to face the San Antonio Spurs in the second of their back-to-back road games. The four-time champion and his teammates barely survived in their previous game. This time, they wanted to ensure their recent struggles did not come through.
The team started hot and midway through the first quarter, the ball landed into the wide-open hands of Steph Curry. Seeing this, Spurs big man Zach Collins scrambled towards the former two-time league MVP. He then jumped with his hands outstretched to try and stop a shot.
Ultimately, he had no chance as Curry’s shot sailed above and into the rim for a three. But in that play, the 36-year-old decided to add insult to injury by turning back once the ball was in the air, suggesting he knew that it was going in and his opponents had no chance to stop it.
Stephen Curry lookaway three?
YOU BET.📺 @NBCSAuthentic pic.twitter.com/zMamrAgPxb
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 24, 2024
Curry’s three helped the Warriors run out to a double-digit lead, which they managed to maintain throughout the first half. They were even up by 17 points with one minute left in the third quarter. But then, the Spurs started to bounce back.
Victor Wembanyama has the last laugh over Steph Curry
Starting in that last minute of the third quarter, the Spurs started a rally. Initially rookie Stephon Castle spearheaded the comeback. Then when Victor Wembanyama came back in from his rest, he took over the game. He scored 10 of his 25 points, while handing out 4 assists and had 3 blocks in that span.
The Golden State Warriors tried to stem the tide when Steph Curry launched two of his other threes of the night. But at the end, it was not enough, as the Spurs staged a 40-13 rally to close out the game at 104-94.
This was the first game back for Wembanyama after being sidelined with a knee bruise for the past three games. The San Antonio Spurs collective fourth quarter display was such that the crowd were on their feet applauding their team for showing such resilience.
Wemby getting it done on both ends 🔥
His 3 gives SAS a 10-0 run!
GSW-SAS | 4Q | NBA League Pass
📲 pic.twitter.com/eMIZ4xF1m6— NBA (@NBA) November 24, 2024
It was a sweet victory for the 7′ 4″ superstar, who had warned after the Paris Olympics heartbreak that he would do everything to win. Winning against the Western Conference leaders may not avenge that defeat, but it remains a sign for him to continue progressing towards the main goal.
