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Stephen Curry has been ejected for the third time in his career after throwing his mouthguard during a game.
Curry was given his marching orders from the Golden State Warriors‘ home clash against the Memphis Grizzlies with 1.14 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors superstar was left frustrated after young teammate Jordan Poole jacked up an ill-advised three-pointer after an offensive rebound.
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Curry repeatedly clapped at Poole to pass him the ball and then threw his mouthguard seconds later while running down the court following Poole’s missed shot.
Ironically, it was Poole who sealed the Warriors’ 122-120 win with a final-second lay-up following a baseline out of bounds play.
“There’s no reason he should be thrown out in the last three minutes of the game,” Poole said after the win.
“Everything comes with learning experience, I think that’s something that the outsiders forget.
“We’ve been in these positions a couple of times and we just found a way to fight through and battle through.”
Curry’s ejection for throwing his mouthguard comes after being ejected for the same reason in a clash against the Grizzlies in 2017.
“It was a crucial time in the game and the way our season is going … in a fourth quarter clutch situation all that stuff does matter so I reacted in a way that obviously put myself out of the game and the team in a tough position,” he said after the game.
“Thankfully my teammates responded extremely well. We needed that one, so there was a sense of urgency for sure, and I allowed my emotions to get in the way of it.”
Then there was the most infamous of ejections, during Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals as the Cleveland Cavaliers stormed back from a 3-1 deficit to eventually win the title.
Curry hit a tying jumper with 2:18 left and made three free throws at the 1:55 mark. He drew the ejection for throwing his mouthpiece into the seats. “He knows he can’t make that mistake,” coach Steve Kerr said of the reigning Finals MVP’s mouthguard toss.
Desmond Bane added 20 points for the Grizzlies in a balanced effort to help lessen the sting of losing durable big man Steven Adams for the foreseeable future with a knee injury.
Ja Morant, who missed a loss on Tuesday at Sacramento with soreness in his left ankle, found Brandon Clarke for an alley-oop layup and three-point play with 4:10 remaining then Curry and Jordan Poole scored consecutive layups.
Klay Thompson added 24 points and his three with 3:38 left in the third pulled the Warriors to 81-79. Then Curry converted a tying four-point play with 2:27 to go in the period after falling into the courtside seats.
The Warriors had lost four straight home games after beginning the season 17-2 at the Chase Center.
Jonathan Kuminga moved into the Golden State starting lineup with Andrew Wiggins ill. Late in the first half, Kuminga drove through the lane for a highlight-reel left-handed slam then knocked down a three-pointer a few possessions later. He wound up with 13 points.
Poole finished with 21 points and seven assists as the Warriors beat the Grizzlies again following a 123-109 win on Christmas Day. The Grizzlies have lost a season-high four straight to begin this season-long five-game West Coast road trip.
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