Pistons rookie perfectly describes guarding Warriors’ Steph Curry originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Steph Curry educated Detroit Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson on the difficulty of guarding the Warriors superstar Monday night.
Thompson, the 2023 No. 5 overall draft pick, faced Curry for the first time, and the 20-year-old came away from the Warriors’ 120-109 win over the Pistons with the perfect description for defending the two-time NBA MVP.
Ausar on his experience defending Steph: “People always say it’s the movement, but he really tries to lull you to sleep. He walks the sideline, looks at the bench, and then you have to run through two screens and it’s like, ‘what just happened?’”
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) November 7, 2023
Curry, known for his movement without the ball, finished with a game-high 34 points on 12-of-26 shooting from the field and 7 of 17 from behind the 3-point line.
Per NBA.com’s tracking data, Curry ran a Warriors-high 2.37 miles in 32 minutes and 38 seconds of game action during Monday’s game, while Thompson covered an astounding game-high 2.95 miles in 37 minutes and 32 seconds of action.
During the Warriors’ win, there were several moments where Curry beat Thompson, including on this transition layup in the first quarter when the rookie didn’t keep pace 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 quickly nailing a go-ahead 3-pointer.
When Thompson tried to offer help defense late in the fourth quarter, Curry blew by him and put the game away with a crafty layup.
Thompson, who scored 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had four steals against the Warriors, will get one more shot this season at defending Curry when Detroit visits Golden State on Friday, Jan. 5.
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