Getty LeBron James with Steph Curry.
Something happened to Steph Curry on Friday night that doesn’t happen often — he missed a free throw.
Los Angeles Lakers All-Star forward LeBron James took the opportunity to razz Curry by audibly rooting between attempts for an even rarer occurrence — the Golden State Warriors‘ two-time MVP point guard to miss twice.
The score was 50-49 in favor of the Warriors with 2:18 left to play in the second quarter of a home preseason game against the Lakers on the evening of October 8. Curry stepped to the line for two shots.
His first rattled in and out, which stirred gasps of surprise from the stands and caused the TV announcers to take special notice. Curry stepped back to the line, chuckling occasionally through a wry smile while chewing on his mouth guard.
The Athletic posted video of the exchange that came next via its official Twitter account.
Steph Curry with a rare miss at the free throw line.
LeBron James: “Gimme 2, I ain’t never seen it!” 😂
🎥 @NBA
“Steph Curry with a rare miss at the free throw line,” the tweet said. “LeBron James: ‘Gimme 2, I ain’t ever seen it!'”
Despite James’ pleas, Curry drained his second attempt. The Warriors went on to defeat the Lakers by a score of 121-114 and move to 3-0 during preseason play. The Lakers fell to 0-3 as a result of the loss.
The teams will open the regular season as competitors on October 19 in Los Angeles.
Jordan Poole Making Case For Playing Time During Preseason
GettyJordan Poole goes up for a shot against the Houston Rockets.
Curry played 26 minutes Friday night, dropping in 30 points on 12-of-24 shooting from the field, including 3-of-14 from deep.
While those kind of numbers are run of.the mill for Curry, or even below average considering the 3-point shot percentage, another Golden State guard continued making believers out of both Dubs fans and the team’s coaching staff with the way he filled up the stat sheet.
Shooting guard Jordan Poole, starting for the Warriors thus far this preseason in place of the still sidelined Klay Thompson, scored 28 points against the Lakers on 10-of-19 from the field and a blistering 6-of-13 from behind the arc, according to ESPN.
He also posted performances of 30 points against the Portland Trailblazers and 17 points against the Denver Nuggets, for an average of 25 points per game through three preseason outings.
Poole’s Ascension to Starting Lineup Began in 2020-21 Season
GettyJordan Poole, of the Golden State Warriors, shoots over Ben Simmons, of the Philadelphia 76ers, during a game in March.
Poole averaged 12 points per game on 35.1% shooting from deep for the Warriors last year, appearing in 51 games.
Due to his play down the stretch and continued improvement throughout the preseason, the third-year backcourt reserve out of Michigan has emerged as the favorite to begin this season as the Warriors’ starting shooting guard. The departure of Kelly Oubre Jr. to Charlotte over the offseason has also helped Poole’s case.
Assuming he can stay healthy, Poole will likely occupy that position in the Dubs’ lineup until Thompson’s return, at which point he will transition to the role of the most dynamic offensive player on the Warriors bench.
Head coach Steve Kerr spoke to reporters following Friday night’s game against the Lakers and continued singing the praises of the young shooting guard.
“It doesn’t matter who’s out there, he’s gonna let it fly, which I love,” Kerr said of Poole. “His confidence is overflowing, so it’s good stuff. He’s had a great camp, just like we expected.”