What promises to be perhaps the wildest game of 2023-24 ended with a finish unlike any you've ever seen before. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors, shocker, were on the winning side of it, too.
The Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 141-139 on opening night of the inaugural in-season tournament, holding on to win an instant-classic that owned that distinction even before Curry's game-winning layup with .2 seconds remaining on the clock. Game-long drama that crescendoed from tipoff to the final moments of the fourth quarter apparently wasn't enough for the basketball gods, though.
Curry's drive and finish past Lu Dort with the score tied was initially called basket interference on the floor, Green's fingers grazing the rim as the ball fell through the basket. The outcome still hung in the balance as officials instituted automatic replay review, both sides confident the ruling would end up in their favor. Finally, the referees announced that Green's touch on the rim had no effect on the ball, confirming more crunch-time Curry heroics and leaving Oklahoma City forced to go 94 feet with .2 seconds on the clock.
Stephen Curry hit the game-winning layup after Draymond Green's goaltend was overturned!pic.twitter.com/Cs8O3eQwfs
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 4, 2023
The game was finally over when Josh Giddey's high-arcing baseball pass was tipped into the arms of Chris Paul, sealing Golden State's fourth straight road win—and prompting wild, confused responses on social media from fans of the Warriors, Thunder and basketball at large.
That was close lmao 😂😂😂
— HENORK🎲🎲 🦉 (@Iam_Henork) November 4, 2023
lets go refs cheating for us love that
— mike v (@mikeventure) November 4, 2023
Lebron fans say it doesn’t count as clutch since there was 0.2 seconds left 😂
— Earl Boykins Fan (@earlboykinsfan) November 4, 2023




clear bail out by refs
— 𝑻𝒆𝒆 ✞ (@HimmyCarter_) November 4, 2023
the NBA can’t let their golden boy Steph Curry lose
— 🐺 (@rangebrothas) November 4, 2023
the refs coming in clutch againhttps://t.co/gy3LYO6iKv
— Pack Mamba (@Pack_Mamba) November 4, 2023
Stephen Curry led all scorers with 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc in another singularly dominant performance, adding eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Dort hit his first nine shots and first six triples en route to 29 points to help offset the absence of Oklahoma City superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who watched from the sidelines with a left knee sprain.
Jonathan Kuminga was awesome for the Dubs after a rough first half, scoring 19 points and playing dogged defense down the stretch. Andrew Wiggins also broke out of his early-season slump for the Warriors, adding 17 points on 11 shots while relentlessly crashing the offensive glass. Chet Holmgren was the most impactful player on the floor other than Curry, forcing Golden State to change its defensive approach at intermission en route to 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists on 7-of-9 from the field.
It's safe to say the verve and intensity of Friday's game would've existed without stakes of the in-season tournament. Rest assured the NBA is absolutely thrilled that one of its marquee matchups on opening night will be remembered by not just Dub Nation, but league followers at large forever.