The Golden State Warriors, after much drama surrounding the race for the 10th spot in the Western Conference standings, took care of business on Thursday night against the Houston Rockets. They took home a 133-110 victory to extend their lead in the win-loss column to four games, virtually sealing their place in the play-in tournament. Klay Thompson stole the headlines for his 29-point performance, staredown of Dillon Brooks, and callout of Tari Eason in his postgame presser, but Stephen Curry had his fair share of highlights too.

One of them came with seven minutes to go in the third quarter. Curry drove towards the rim, only for Fred VanVleet to nudge him out of position. The Warriors star drew a blatant shooting foul, which isn't a particularly rare occurrence, but Curry celebrated it as if he won another championship, raising his fists and screaming in joy towards his own bench.

Following the game, Stephen Curry explained why he celebrated the foul call the way he did. This season has been a difficult one for the Warriors, and they have been on the wrong end of a few missed calls. Curry felt like it was nice to get one call in his favor for a change.

“I was just happy to get a call that was pretty obvious. There was one last game where there’s a still shot of Gafford all across my arms,” Curry said, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I'm not a foul-baiter. I'm not a guy who tries to complain. It happens from time to time. But you can also celebrate when it goes your way too even if it's a little out of place or demonstrative. Just have fun with it.”

In the end, Stephen Curry emerged victorious, scoring 29 points on a stellar 9-14 shooting from the field and a perfect 9-9 from the foul line. Now that warrants a celebration.

Warriors and free throws, a star-crossed love story

The Warriors have been feeling hard done by officiating when it comes to getting opportunities at free points from the foul line, and Stephen Curry's over-the-top celebration is the latest evidence pointing to this sentiment. Curry might be justified, however, in his complaints. He is currently averaging his free-throw attempts per game over the past five seasons.

As a team, the Warriors rank 26th in the league in free-throw attempts, and for as long as they are primarily a jump-shooting team, that is not likely to change.

Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James in the play-in, part two

As things stand, the Warriors and the Lakers will be squaring off in the 9/10 matchup of the Western Conference play-in tournament. This marks a rematch of the second-round matchup between the two during the 2023 NBA playoffs and the 7/8 clash in the 2021 play-in gauntlet.

Stephen Curry and LeBron James have been in each other's paths for nearly 10 years now, and it's a downright marvel that the two remain at the top of their game. Both Curry and James are hunting for the fifth championship of their career, and it's poetic that they'll likely be starting the playoffs against each other.

Curry and James have defined an era of basketball, although it's becoming evident that their place atop the league's totem pole is shakier than ever. It'll be interesting to see if either of the two have one last deep playoff run in them.