Sometimes, even big-time NBA stars like Steph Curry end up on the receiving end of a major play.
That was the case on Tuesday, during the first quarter of the Miami Heat’s 107-95 road loss to the Golden State Warriors.
In the final seconds of the opening period, Miami’s James Johnson aggressively charged the rim, and Curry attempted to block him. Johnson, however, flew and threw down a massive dunk, knocking the former MVP to the ground.
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The dunk broke a 27-all tie at the end of the first quarter.
Curry finished with 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and Kevin Durant added 28 points and eight rebounds for the Warriors, who have won five straight against the Heat and eight in 10, including three in a row at home.
Draymond Green contributed 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists during a game in which Golden State did not put up one of its best performances, at least not at the start.
”I was rushing early on, I rushed five shots,” said Durant, who missed his first five attempts. ”My first five shots were terrible looks. It was just bad to watch, for sure. I settled in and told myself I don’t have to make up for Klay [Thompson] being out.”
Thompson had the night off for rest after he played through illness the past two games. Coach Steve Kerr said he was worn down, and that the Warriors missed him.
”I thought it took us a while,” Kerr said. ”We’re so used to Klay running off screens, and he’s such a threat, he puts so much pressure on the defense with his shooting, so without him, it was a different feel, different look.”
Hassan Whiteside led Miami with 28 points and 20 rebounds. The Heat were outscored 26-14 in the third quarter after leading 54-53 at halftime.
Rookie Patrick McCaw made his first career start in Thompson’s place and sank a crucial 3-pointer in the third that put Golden State ahead 67-60.
Curry was 8-for-21 shooting and hit just 4 of 11 3-pointers as the Warriors shot 11 for 27 from beyond the arc and 45.3 percent overall. The two-time reigning league MVP fell short of a fourth consecutive game with 30 or more points.
The Heat lost their third straight game and fell to 1-4 on this six-game trip as coach Erik Spoelstra works to help his team find ”our identity on both ends of the court and doing it more consistently.”
Whiteside’s alley-oop dunk with 7:15 left pulled Miami within 85-80 and forced a Warriors timeout. Tyler Johnson scored to make it a three-point game before Golden State closed it out.
Kerr was asked about visiting the White House with Donald Trump as President if the Warriors were to win a championship.
”I certainly hope that we have to have that decision to make next year,” he simply said. ”I’ll move on to the next question.”
The Heat next visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, while the Warriors will host the Detroit Pistons Thursday night. The Warriors visit Miami on Jan. 23.
OAKLAND, CA – JANUARY 10: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts during their game against the Miami Heat at ORACLE Arena on January 10, 2017 in Oakland, California.
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