Jordan Poole Throws Jab at Stephen Curry After Ejection in Tough Warriors Win

Getty Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors were sliding ahead of their game against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 25. They had lost six of their last nine games before taking on the Grizzlies, a game which they managed to eke out in the final moments of the contest.

Golden State earned a 122-120 win over the Grizzlies thanks to a Jordan Poole layup in the final seconds. Before that play, though, Stephen Curry was ejected with just 1:14 left to go in the game. He got mad after Poole took a shot he seemingly believed to be ill-advised and threw his mouthguard into the crowd.

He was immediately ejected from the game, but Golden State prevailed, still managing to pick up the victory. After the game, a video tweeted by NBA on ESPN showed Poole mocking Curry in the back hallways of the arena. Poole threw his own mouthguard to the side in front of Curry before the two embraced in celebration, throwing a friendly jab at the Warriors superstar.

Ahead of his ejection, Curry was putting up amazing numbers for the Warriors. He ended the game with 34 points, two rebounds, three assists, and two steals on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor and 4-of-8 shooting from behind the three-point line. The superstar point guard led the Warriors in scoring.

Meanwhile, Poole also put up some solid numbers against the Grizzlies. The 23-year-old posted 21 points, five rebounds, and seven assists on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 2-of-6 shooting from distance. Klay Thompson also logged 20+ points, dropping 24 points, three boards, and three assists on 9-of-23 shooting overall and 5-of-10 shooting from deep.

Curry’s ejection came at a pivotal moment in the game, but Golden State was able to overcome it thanks to Poole’s heroic play. So, in a way, he earned the right to mock Curry after the game.

Steve Kerr Discusses Altercation With Jordan Poole

This isn’t the first time in the past few games that Poole caused an altercation with a fellow member of the squad. Only last time, it was an incident between him and head coach Steve Kerr.

During Golden State’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Poole committed an offensive foul at the end of the third quarter as the Warriors were attempting to inbound the ball. He then compounded that mistake by earning a delay of game penalty, which resulted in a Cavaliers free throw, as it was Golden State’s second of the game.

Kerr was spotted telling Poole to “lock the f*** in,” screaming at him from the sidelines. After the game, Kerr said that Poole actually played well, but in that moment, he just “snapped.”

“I’m going to stay on Jordan,” Kerr said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s continuing to grow and he’s getting better. I think the last two games, he was fantastic in terms of staying off the referees. He got the offensive foul and then held the ball as he talked to the ref, and that was a delay of game. So I’m trying to get Jordan to the point where he understands every play counts and every moment counts. So, every once in a while, I snap and I snapped in that moment and he looked at me like I was nuts. But it’s all part of it. I love Jordan and I love the way he’s playing and he was incredible tonight.”

Jordan Poole got hit for a delay of game after an offensive foul he disagreed with late third quarter. Steve Kerr got on him: “Lock the f*** in. We’re trying to win the game.” Tense near Warriors bench through quarter timeout. They could really use this W. pic.twitter.com/2wQXU2jQnl

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 21, 2023

Stephen Curry Discusses Kerr & Poole Altercation

Meanwhile, Curry also had something to say about the altercation between Kerr and Poole. He praised both of them for the ways they individually handled the situation.

“Hey for all the kids watching this clip…Coach Kerr coaching like he should,” Curry commented on a post by House of Highlights, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “JP taking the energy the right way. Both of them move on to try and win the game!!! @houseofhighlights Make sure you show how @jordan_poole bounced back after this.”