Stephen Curry once said he enjoys the challenge of playing against Patrick Beverley.
But last night, Curry had enough of the pesky Rockets guard, and that led to an incident between Curry and Trevor Ariza.
Beverley got physical with Curry during a third-quarter inbound while the Warriors led by 23. Curry responded by pushing Beverley, drawing a technical foul.
On the next play, Curry set an illegal screen on Ariza. As the players returned to the other side of the court, Ariza bumped Curry, who took exception.
Curry – who usually lets Golden State’s enforcers handle this type of business but has gotten into his own dust-ups – charged Ariza until Draymond Green held him back.
The referees hit Ariza with a technical foul after a replay, helping the Warriors to their 126-113 win. It probably would have been a double technical if Curry didn’t already have one, but players get a longer leash when an ejection is directly on the line. Heck, Ariza was probably trying to induce a double tech and get Curry tossed (a strategy the Warriors have used previously).
After the game, Curry (accurately) described Ariza’s bump as a “cheap shot:”
“I thought it was a cheap shot,” Curry said. “And I don’t know if he meant to do it or not, but that’s how I felt in the moment, and I wanted to tell him.”
And what did he plan to do if he reached Ariza?
“Throw a haymaker and knock him out and get kicked out of the league,” Curry deadpanned. “Nah, I don’t know what I was going to do. No idea.”
Curry’s plan was probably for someone to cut him off before he got to Ariza, and if so, it worked. Curry has never looked more intimidating than while he was going wild in Green’s clutches.