Steph Curry opened up to Detroit Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson on Monday night about the difficulty of guarding the Warriors’ superstar.
Thompson, the No. 5 draft pick in 2023, faced Curry for the first time, and the 20-year-old had the perfect description of defending the two-time NBA MVP after the Warriors’ 120-109 victory over the Pistons .
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Ausar on his experience defending Steph: “People always say it’s the movement, but he really tries to lull you to sleep. He walks down the sideline, looks at the bench, and then you have to walk through two screens and it’s like, ‘What?’ just happened?'”
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) November 7, 2023
Curry, known for his off-the-ball movement, finished the game with 34 points, scoring on 12 of 26 shooting from the field and 7 of 17 shooting from behind the 3-point line.
According to NBA.com’s tracking data, during Monday’s game, Curry ran a Warriors-high 2.37 miles in 32 minutes, 38 seconds of play, while Thompson ran an astounding 2.95 miles in 37 minutes, 32 seconds of play.
There were several moments during the Warriors’ win where Curry got the better of Thompson, including that first-quarter layup when the rookie couldn’t keep up with the four-time NBA champion.
In the third quarter, Curry lulled Thompson to sleep on the right wing before catching a cross-court pass from Draymond Green and making a quick three-pointer.
As Thompson tried to help the defense late in the fourth quarter, Curry flew past him and tied the game with a nifty layup.
Thompson, who scored 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had four steals against the Warriors, will have another chance to defend Curry this season when Detroit visits Golden State on Friday, Jan. 5.
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