SAN FRANCISCO — Before there could be a game-winning moonshot from Stephen Curry, there had to be a rocket thrown to him.
Chris Paul, the 12-time All-Star, can still launch them. Even as he’s past his prime and even when he’s not feeling 100%, either.
When Paul corralled a loose ball along the baseline with the game clock dwindling under 13 seconds, he didn’t panic. Of course he didn’t; the 38-year-old has been in every game situation throughout his 19-year career.
Paul collected the 50-50 ball and glanced up at the shot clock in one motion. The Warriors were up 127-126 in overtime, so a 3 would essentially ice out Boston. He locked eyes across the court with Curry, who flashed both hands above his head and relocated from the corner to the wing, creating a sliver of a passing lane for Paul. The point guard took one dribble towards the paint, left his feet and fired a pass right at the letters on Curry’s jersey.
There Paul was, creating the shot that won Tuesday night’s game — a victory head coach Steve Kerr said could be “the one we need” — and putting himself at the center of a signature moment of this Warriors season.
“It was a split-second decision,” Curry said of Paul’s pass. “Once he got the ball, took one dribble, had to figure out an angle. The shot clock was running down. I saw him before, right as he got the ball we locked eyes, I had my hands up. When he took that extra dribble, I lost sight of him, but the ball was coming on time and on target. Was able to get my feet underneath me, and then it was just a rhythm shot at that point. Hell of a play, knowing we needed to get a shot up.”
In Golden State’s 132-126 overtime win over Boston, Paul tallied 12 assists while committing zero turnovers. Despite being questionable to play due to illness, the Warriors (13-14) veteran got better as the game went on, as the players around him grew tired. He dished to Curry for the clutch rainbow 3 and Klay Thompson for a game-tying triple late in the fourth. When the game sped up on Boston, it slowed down for Paul.
STEPH DAGGER THREE
HIT CELTICS WITH THE 'NIGHT NIGHT' CELLY pic.twitter.com/PoxMZrZlg1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 20, 2023
“What a great game he played tonight,” Thompson said of Paul. “Filled up the stat sheet. It’s just a joy to play with him, he makes my job so easy. He’s one of the greatest, obviously, to ever play. He makes everyone around (him) better, and I’m just lucky to be his teammate.”
Early in Tuesday night’s game, Paul appeared hesitant to drive into the paint and look for his own shot — as he has often this year — even against slower defenders like Neemias Queta. Paul woke up with a fever, but downplayed the notion that it impacted him during the game. He lamented that he missed his first game due to illness earlier this month and is a consummate competitor.
Still, Kerr was worried Paul wasn’t healthy enough to gut through it.
“Chris was a hero out there tonight,” Kerr said. “He was really sick before the game. Didn’t look right in the first half, I wasn’t sure he was going to be able to go in the second half. He was just spectacular the whole second half.”
Paul found another gear. In the second half, he helped the Warriors come back from a 17-point deficit and kept them organized during crunch time. Paul was a plus-9 in a game the Warriors won by six, posting the second-best plus-minus on the team behind rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis (+25). All nine of his points and half of his 12 assists came in the second half.
None was bigger than the dime to Curry.
“Very grateful it went in,” Thompson said. “It was an incredible shot. Moon ball. He never ceases to amaze us.”
Without Paul’s pass, there wouldn’t have been another Curry “night-night” celebration. The Warriors could have lost yet another tight game in the clutch. Questions from outside observers about the team’s chances at contending this year would have further heated up.
The other hero on the play was Jackson-Davis, who kept Curry’s initial miss at the rim alive. The athletic center had a perfect view of Curry’s majestic triple from underneath the hoop.
“Pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” Jackson-Davis said when asked to describe Curry’s shot.
Without Paul’s pass, there would have been no rainbow.
