Watch Stephen Curry's first in-game dunk since 2019; without Butler Warriors fall to 76ers

Stephen Curry almost always provides you with something you almost never see on the court.
Saturday night that was his first dunk since 2019, a two-foot leap on a leak out.
STEPH DUNKED IT 🤯
📺 #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/gwIlXQdOph
How long ago was it Curry dunked? 'Happier' by Marshmello & Bastille was the hottest song in the nation then. Or, just watch the play itself, where Curry dunks thanks to an assist from Kevin Durant (with his second team since that play) and a screen from DeMarcus Cousins (out of the league since 2022).
Rewatch this dunk and enjoy it because Curry says you won't see it again.
Steph Curry said tonight was the last dunk of his career: 'I'm calling it right now.' He pointed at Jerry Stackhouse after it because Stackhouse asked him to dunk at shootaround today. He said his knees have been feeling well enough to try it. pic.twitter.com/Qr1UqwKIhI
That was the highlight for the Warriors, the rest of the game... not so much.
This game was exhibit 1A of why the Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler and signed him to a two-year, $121 million contract extension: The Warriors were +12 in the 36 minutes Stephen Curry was on the court and -13 in the 12 minutes he was on the bench, sitting next to Butler, who was out due to back spasms. Steve Kerr said postgame that he realized what was going on, but with the Warriors playing three games in four nights, he could only lean into his 36-year-old star for so much.
The Warriors' other problem was Quentin Grimes, who went off for a career-best 44 points.
QUENTIN GRIMES SCORES A CAREER-HIGH 44 PTS IN THE SIXERS' WIN 😤
🔥 20 in 1H
🔥 18 in 3Q
🔥 18-24 FGM
🔥 6-9 3PM
What a night for @qdotgrimes! 👏 pic.twitter.com/FaIn2hJE96
FORTY FOE.
With the win, the 76ers move back in front of Brooklyn for the No. 11 seed in the East (Philly has the seventh-worst record in the NBA right now, they owe their first-round pick to Oklahoma City top six protected).

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

3 hours ago

• Yahoo

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander becomes first player in 12 years to win both NBA MVP and Finals MVP after dominant Thunder run

Shai Gilegous-Alexander is your 2025 NBA Finals MVP after leading the Oklahoma City Thunder on a dominant run, from Opening Night to the team's 103-91 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 on Sunday night. The Thunder point guard was named the winner of the award after the game, making him the ninth player in NBA history to win both the regular-season MVP award and the Finals MVP award. He also won the Western Conference finals MVP award, for good measure. He is the first player in 25 years to win the regular-season MVP, the scoring title and Finals MVP. Advertisement Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.3 points, 5.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game throughout the NBA Finals. He dropped 29 points and 12 assists in Sunday's win. The last player to accomplish the double-MVP was LeBron James when he did it in back-to-back seasons in 2012 and 2013, during his Miami Heat days. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić have all won both of the awards since then, but never at the same time. Here's the full list: LeBron James (2012, 2013) Tim Duncan (2003) Michael Jordan (1991, 1992, 1996, 1998) Hakeem Olajuwon (1994) Magic Johnson (1987) Moses Malone (1983) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971) Willis Reed (1970) It's worth noting that while the NBA MVP award was introduced in 1956, the Finals MVP award only dates back to 1969. Had the latter award been introduced sooner, its namesake Bill Russell and rival Wilt Chamberlain would almost certainly be on that list. Advertisement Chamberlain won MVP the year he led the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1967 championship, while the Boston Celtics won the title in four out of Russell's five MVP years. Bob Cousy might have also had an argument for Finals MVP on the 1957 champion Celtics after winning MVP that year. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just had one of the best seasons in NBA history If your average NBA player was asked to write out what they hope to accomplish before any given season, the result would not have looked too different from Gilgeous-Alexander's 2024-25 campaign. Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in scoring, was dominant enough on defense to earn a second-place Defensive Player of the Year vote and was the focal point of a 68-win team. The Thunder were clearly the most talented team in the league from top to bottom, but there was never any question who held the driver's keys on the court. Advertisement The Thunder finished the regular season with the best point differential in NBA history, and Gilgeous-Alexander was the reason why, via Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor: SGA has led OKC despite Chet Holmgren missing 50 games and Isaiah Hartenstein missing 25 games. In the 1,112 minutes SGA played without either of them, the Thunder were still a plus-18.9. Add in the minutes that their second-best player, Jalen Williams, was also on the bench, the Thunder still were a plus-26.7 as long as SGA was on the floor. There are people who will argue Jokić was more deserving of the MVP award, but the fact is both players posted two of the greatest individual performances the NBA has ever seen. And then Gilgeous-Alexander led his team to its first championship in OKC, beating Jokić's Denver Nuggets in a surprisingly competitive second-round series. Gilgeous-Alexander's 2024-25 was the culmination of a steady rise from the moment he entered the NBA. The Los Angeles Clippers picked him 11th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft and, after a solid rookie season, dealt him to OKC in the much-maligned Paul George trade (which, to be fair, is the reason LA was able to get Kawhi Leonard). Advertisement SGA has led the Thunder in scoring every season since he landed in OKC, with his numbers and the team improving every season. The SGA trade was the beginning of a hard rebuild for the Thunder, but they were competitive again by the 2022-23 season and back in the playoffs as the West's top seed last year. That campaign ended in disappointment, with an upset loss to Luka Dončić's Dallas Mavericks. The Thunder responded by reinforcing their young core with veterans Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, while Gilgeous-Alexander responded by finding yet another gear. There was no stopping them this year. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on track to get paid — next summer The Finals MVP doesn't change how much Gilgeous-Alexander can get paid in the future, but it does demonstrate how little choice the Thunder have in giving him the money he wants. Advertisement By winning MVP, the 26-year-old is eligible to sign a five-year, $380 million supermax contract extension once he becomes eligible in the 2026 offseason. He has already met the criteria two times over, with his MVP win and back-to-back All-NBA selections, and just needs to finish his seventh NBA season. When he gets that contract, it will be the largest deal in the history of the NBA, with a $76 million average annual value that would be unprecedented in American sports.

Associated Press

3 hours ago

• Associated Press

NBA Finals Most Valuable Players

2025 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City 2024 — Jaylen Brown, Boston 2023 — Nikola Jokic, Denver 2022 — Stephen Curry, Golden State 2021 — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee 2020 — LeBron James, L.A. Lakers 2019 — Kawhi Leonard, Toronto 2018 — Kevin Durant, Golden State 2017 — Kevin Durant, Golden State 2016 — LeBron James, Cleveland 2015 — Andre Iguodala, Golden State 2014 — Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio 2013 — LeBron James, Miami 2012 — LeBron James, Miami 2011 — Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas 2010 — Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 2009 — Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 2008 — Paul Pierce, Boston 2007 — Tony Parker, San Antonio 2006 — Dwyane Wade, Miami 2005 — Tim Duncan, San Antonio 2004 — Chauncey Billups, Detroit 2003 — Tim Duncan, San Antonio 2002 — Shaquille O'Neal, L.A. Lakers 2001 — Shaquille O'Neal, L.A. Lakers 2000 — Shaquille O'Neal, L.A. Lakers 1999 — Tim Duncan, San Antonio 1998 — Michael Jordan, Chicago 1997 — Michael Jordan, Chicago 1996 — Michael Jordan, Chicago 1995 — Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston 1994 — Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston 1993 — Michael Jordan, Chicago 1992 — Michael Jordan, Chicago 1991 — Michael Jordan, Chicago 1990 — Isiah Thomas, Detroit 1989 — Joe Dumars, Detroit 1988 — James Worthy, L.A. Lakers 1987 — Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers 1986 — Larry Bird, Boston 1985 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, L.A. Lakers 1984 — Larry Bird, Boston 1983 — Moses Malone, Philadelphia 1982 — Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers 1981 — Cedric Maxwell, Boston 1980 — Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers 1979 — Dennis Johnson, Seattle 1978 — Wes Unseld, Washington 1977 — Bill Walton, Portland 1976 — Jo Jo White, Boston 1975 — Rick Barry, Golden State 1974 — John Havlicek, Boston 1973 — Willis Reed, New York 1972 — Wilt Chamberlain, L.A. Lakers 1971 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee 1970 — Willis Reed, New York 1969 — Jerry West, L.A. Lakers

USA Today

5 hours ago

• USA Today

Golden State Warriors jersey history - No. 15 - Lester Connor (1982-87)

The Golden State Warriors have had over 600 players don the more than 60 jersey numbers used by their players over the more than 75 years of existence the team has enjoyed in its rich and storied history. Founded in 1946 during the Basketball Association of America (BAA -- a precursor league of the NBA) era, the team has called home the cities of Philadelphia, San Francisco, Oakland, and even San Diego. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Warriors Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. For this article, we begin with the second of 27 players who wore the No. 15 jersey for the Warriors. That player would be Golden State guard alum Lester Connor. After ending his college career at Oregon State, Connor was picked up with the 14th overall selection of the 1982 NBA draft by the Dubs. The Memphis, Tennessee native would play the first four seasons of his pro career with Golden State, coming to an end when he signed with the Houston Rockets in 1987. During his time suiting up for the Warriors, Connor wore only jersey Nos. 15 and 32 and put up 7.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3,9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.