The last two nights of NBA action delivered no shortage of storylines, headlined by Klay Thompson’s return to Chase Center with the Miami Heat on Thursday. While the Splash Brothers shared pregame banter and postgame laughs, Miami’s marquee star Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled to find his rhythm against Golden State’s defense.
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In this edition of our NBA roundup, we break down Stephen Curry’s latest battle against former teammate Klay Thompson and check in on a fiery clash that had Draymond Green playing peacemaker. Plus, we look at Rudy Gobert’s endless drama with the Timberwolves and a stunning, yet scary, record-breaking night for Victor Wembanyama that had Spurs fans holding their breath.
Splash Brothers Reunion: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson bring back nostalgia
You just know that Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry had Thursday circled on their calendars. Facing his former team at Chase Center after dramatically sinking a game-winning three-pointer against the Los Angeles Clippers just 24 hours prior, Thompson hoped to carry that momentum into his old stomping grounds.
“Hopefully I can continue to stay afloat because I made a lot of buckets in that building,” Thompson said ahead of the matchup. “It’s fun to beat up on old friends, so that would be awesome to come away with a back-to-back win.”
However, Stephen Curry and the Warriors had other plans, storming away with a 120–100 victory to push their winning streak to six games. Curry started slowly, going 2-of-10 in the first half, but caught fire after the break and finished with 29 points. Thompson, guarded by Curry for long stretches, was held to 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting.
Asked afterward about Thompson’s pregame jab, Curry pointed to a different win he’d already collected over his old teammate. His Davidson Wildcats had beaten Thompson’s Washington State Cougars 76-61 in their college basketball season opener on Monday.
“The only conversations we’ve had are the Davidson Wildcats beating the Washington State Cougars and me getting the best end of that bet,” Curry joked. “So that was cool, but [with] the championships and what we’ve accomplished, it’s really easy to separate the friendship, the history, with the battles out there. So you don’t need to talk about it as much. It just comes out of us when we get out there on the floor, and I’m sure that’s what people love to watch.”
Even in defeat, the reunion was full of nostalgia. During the game, Curry was caught posing for a fan’s photo right next to Thompson, who didn’t even notice. After the final buzzer, Thompson lingered on the court, hugging a long line of former teammates and Warriors staff.
Giannis Antetokounmpo stagnates against Draymond Green
Despite posting a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds, Giannis Antetokounmpo looked noticeably sluggish and hesitant during Miami’s 120–100 loss to the Warriors. He was playing on the second night of a road back-to-back, a night after a 40-minute overtime game against the Clippers, and through a sprained right wrist that was heavily taped.
Part of his defensive woes were attributed to Draymond Green’s vintage defensive clinic, which exposed the early-season spacing issues of Miami’s new-look core. Without a high-volume, elite perimeter scorer alongside him, Antetokounmpo was frequently forced into crowded two-man actions with Davion Mitchell and Klay Thompson.
Miami committed 22 turnovers, which the Warriors turned into 28 points, and Golden State also won the fast-break battle 21-7. Antetokounmpo finished with a plus-minus of minus-22, while Davion Mitchell led the Heat with 22 points.
The Heat managed a season-low 100 points, shot just 29.5% from three, and fell to 3-6.
Georges Niang and Bobby Portis exchange double techs in heated scuffle
The tension at Chase Center reached a boiling point during Thursday night’s battle between the Warriors and Heat when Golden State newcomer Georges Niang and Miami’s newest addition Bobby Portis went forehead-to-forehead. Known as one of the league’s quintessential agitators, Portis quickly found himself right in the eye of the storm after bumping chests with Niang following a physical sequence midgame.
The guy who is fresh off an ejection, Draymond Green, broke it up before it escalated to an all-out ejection. Yet it was enough to result in double technical fouls assessed to both players.
When asked postgame about what triggered the intense confrontation, Niang offered a lighthearted, sarcastic spin on the heated exchange.
“He actually said that his outfit looked better than mine,” Niang joked to reporters. “And then I was like, well, no, mine looks better than yours. And we went back and forth. I mean, do you really want to know what we said to each other?”
While the banter provided humor postgame, Niang’s fiery demeanor has quickly won over his new teammates, especially Draymond Green. Green, who clarified he kept the de-escalation “calm,” raved about the grit and edge that the veteran forward brings to the roster.
“I love that, I love that type of energy,” Green said of Niang. “Georges has been incredible for us… He’s been great for us. What an addition… Can’t keep him off the floor.”
Having already stepped in to play peacemaker for Niang in altercations with opponents like Collin Sexton and now Portis, Green clearly appreciates the physical, relentless attitude Niang has injected into their rotation as the Warriors push forward on their six-game winning streak.
Niang also answered on the court, going 4-of-5 for 10 points after halftime. Portis didn’t score the rest of the night.
Fans show frustration with Rudy Gobert as LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga lead Wolves surge
The latest episode of ‘What’s Going On with Rudy Gobert’ was a spectator who got loud. Playing without Anthony Edwards, who is out up to two months after knee surgery, the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off a 117-107 road win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, handing Houston its first home loss of the season.
Despite the impressive victory, Rudy Gobert’s ongoing offensive struggles remained a talking point. He anchored the defense with 11 rebounds and four blocks, but went just 2-of-6 from the free-throw line, leaving him at a career-low 42.6% from the stripe this season. Even Minnesota’s own fans are losing patience.
A clip from the Wolves’ recent home loss to the Warriors went viral this week, showing a fan near the court yelling, “DO NOT GIVE IT TO RUDY!” as Jonathan Kuminga looked to pass. Kuminga passed it anyway, and Gobert bricked the shot.
His teammates are clearly rooting for him, though. When Gobert finally got a bucket to fall against the Rockets, LaMelo Ball’s over-the-top reaction quickly went viral.
Ball shook off a sluggish start to score 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, sparking a decisive late run. Meanwhile, Jonathan Kuminga continued his stellar play with 16 points and eight rebounds, icing the game with two late corner three-pointers in the final two minutes.
Gobert’s offensive friction has occasionally led to sideline exchanges with teammates like Edwards, Ball and Kuminga in recent games. Yet his elite defensive presence proved vital to sealing Minnesota’s top victory of the season.
Victor Wembanyama’s injury scare shadows historic 52-point night
San Antonio Spurs fans held their breath early in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks when Victor Wembanyama landed awkwardly on Walter Clayton’s foot and rolled his ankle. After heading to the bench to stretch the foot with medical staff, the 7’4 superstar re-entered the game with 6:05 remaining on the clock, shrugging off the scare to close out a monstrous 112–111 victory.
Wemby put together a historic stat line of 52 points, 24 rebounds, and eight blocks despite battling a virus. The performance made him the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964 to record over 50 points and 20 rebounds in a one-point win.
“He’s Superman,” Spurs point guard Dylan Harper said after the game. “I mean, he rolls his ankle and pops right up and acts as if nothing happened. That’s just a testament to how he takes care of his body, how he focuses on his mobility and treatment.”
Reflecting on the near-miss postgame, Wemby acknowledged how intense the moment was on the floor. “The moment that stands out, for some reason… is when I rolled my ankle,” Wembanyama said. “It’s a very strong moment because both teams were really fighting at that moment.”
After the game, the French phenom simply said, “I’m feeling fine. We’ll see tomorrow.”
Despite Wembanyama brushing off the injury, analyst Dusty Garza tweeted out a scary visual of the play, warning fans, “Don’t be surprised if Victor sits out the upcoming game against the Sacramento Kings.”
The Spurs, now 6-2 and winners of six straight, visit Sacramento on Friday, and given the team’s cautious approach with Wembanyama, they may choose to rest him.