Getty Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after making a three-point basket during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks.
Kyrie Irving gave Stephen Curry his flowers after the Dallas Mavericks fended off the shorthanded Golden State Warriors 108-106 on Friday, April 5, on PJ Washington’s heroics.
“He set the bar for a lot of us point guards of where we want to be,” Irving told reporters of Curry after the win. “We’re still chasing his legacy.”
Curry hit a game-tying jumper with 13 seconds left to cap a 14-point fourth-quarter explosion. The Mavericks answered with a Washington basket in the final 4 seconds.
Irving made the hockey assist when the Warriors immediately sent a double team on him off the inbound. Tim Hardaway Jr. attacked the basket and found an open Washington from the other side, who used the glass for the game-winning layup.
The Mavericks mirrored the Warriors’ defense in the final play, quickly sending a double team on Curry off the inbound. Curry quickly made the potential hockey assist to Chris Paul, who passed it to Klay Thompson in the corner.
Unfortunately, Thompson’s 3-pointer at the buzzer was short.
The Mavericks snapped the Warriors’ 6-game winning streak without Luka Doncic.
Washington picked up the scoring slack with 32 points while Irving added 26 with 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
Curry led the Warriors, who played without Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga, with 28 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal.
“It is not a one-on-one battle between me and Steph as much as fans make it and I don’t know how long that conversation can probably continue until he retires or I retire,” Irving said of their marquee matchup.
Steph Curry’s Legacy
Curry, 35, hasn’t shown signs of slowing down from adding more ledger to his Hall of Fame career highlighted by four NBA championships, 2 league MVPs and 1 Finals MVP plus the crowning glory of being the all-time 3-point leader.
“It’s just inevitable as a competitor to want to play well, and as somebody like that, he brings the best out of you,” Irving said of Curry. “He’s gonna come in and do what Steph Curry thinks. I’ve just tried to take some of his strengths that he does well and incorporate into my game and I’m sure he’s taking things from me and we just learned from one another and that’s mutual respect.”
Curry and Irving faced off thrice in the NBA Finals. Curry won two out of three. Irving won his first and still only NBA title in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers as LeBron James’ sidekick.
More Kyrie-Steph Matchups to Come
Irving, 32, found stability in Dallas after his tumultuous stops in Boston and Brooklyn after leaving James and the Cavaliers in 2017.
On the other hand, Curry is facing the inevitable in a challenging season marked by significant rotation changes as Steve Kerr tries to bridge their dynasty years and a new era with their young, hungry players.
But as long as Curry and Irving are healthy, their matchup will remain to be a sight to behold between two of the most skilled point guards of their generations.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever give the fans what they truly want in terms of out of our matchups, but it’s just exciting to be in a league with a guy like that and see him just break records every season,” Irving said. “It’s easy to sit up here and kind of see negative things about a guy like that, but it’s just saw positivity. And when we get on the court, we’re gonna go out each other and that’s the way it should be.”