Stephen Curry produced the highlight of the NBA season so far — an ankle-breaking crossover that sent Luka Doncic tumbling to the floor — as the Golden State Warriors erased a 25-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-95 at Chase Center in both teams’ NBA Cup opener.
Stephen Curry pulls off the ankle-breaker on Luka Doncic (Credits: ESPN)
Curry’s Ankle-Breaker on Luka Doncic Steals the Night
Midway through the third quarter, Curry isolated Doncic on the perimeter, unleashed a devastating crossover that left the Lakers superstar sprawled across the hardwood, and calmly drilled a three-pointer as the Chase Center crowd erupted. Doncic answered with a three of his own almost immediately, but the moment had already gone viral.
Curry, 38, admitted he surprised even himself. “I was just trying to get a little bit of space,” he told the postgame crew, adding that he hadn’t had that much room to shoot in a long time — and referenced James Harden’s famous shimmy celebration. He also put both hands on his head in disbelief after sinking the shot. “I just love this game. All my mannerisms are just all over the place because I’m just having fun.”
Warriors’ Historic 25-Point Comeback Over Lakers
The game had started as a Luka masterclass. Doncic erupted for 21 points in the opening quarter — knocking down five threes with five assists and two steals — as Los Angeles raced to a 38-15 lead and eventually a 25-point advantage.
Then came history: Golden State outscored the Lakers 38-15 in the second quarter, an exact mirror image, to level the game at 53 by halftime. It was the first time in the NBA’s shot-clock era that a team trailed by at least 23 points after the opening quarter and recovered to tie or lead at the break.
Curry took over from there, finishing with 31 points, six assists and four rebounds on 8-of-14 shooting from deep, moving past Dominique Wilkins into 18th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Doncic led all scorers with 37 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but got little support. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg managed just six points in 24 minutes, with Curry even covering for him defensively.
The win is Golden State’s third straight after an 0-3 start, ties the season series 1-1, and gets revenge for the opening-night defeat to the Lakers. The rivals meet twice more this season, on January 21 and March 14, 2027.
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Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
