A little more than midway through the fourth quarter of Saturday's game between the Pistons and Warriors, Golden State was trailing by a point in what had been a physical, somewhat ugly game. Stephen Curry missed a leaning 3-pointer, but Warriors energy man Gui Santos was there to clean up the rebound and put it back to give the Dubs a 95-94 lead.
Trailing toward the Pistons bench after his missed shot, Curry dropped a finger down in celebration of Santos' play. Not everyone on the Detroit bench was thrilled to see him, however.
Most notably Isaiah Stewart, the Pistons center/enforcer who has earned a reputation as much as an instigator as a basketball player. Stewart has had something of a role reduction this season in Detroit, as his minutes have fallen to 19.8 per game, down from 30.8 last year.
That's mostly because the Pistons are trying to play with a bit more skill rather than the brute force that defines Stewart's game.
He was not on the floor when Curry approached the Pistons bench, but Stewart still reached out and gave Curry a light shove on the arm out of the blue. Curry took exception and went back to tell Stewart. The two were quickly separated, but Curry and Stewart were whistled for technical fouls on the play.
The Warriors went on to win, 115-110.
Curry was not asked about the play after the game, but noted that the Pistons are, indeed, a physical team.
"They have a particular style, they play physical, they try to get into you from the jump. I know the scouting report was that they foul you probably the most in the league. It was gonna be kind of a slogfest," Curry said.
Stewart certainly drew reactions on social media after the game as video of the incident spread.
STEPH & ISAIAH STEWART CALLED FOR DOUBLE TECHS pic.twitter.com/1cAFSGvHoZ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 9, 2025
Whenever there's an Isaiah Stewart clip circulating on Twitter, it's never him playing basketball
pic.twitter.com/5yrLu4r7Cl
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 9, 2025
LMAO WHO DOES ISAIAH STEWART THINK HE IS pic.twitter.com/6ky14IIB6K
— Smiley (@30GotNext) March 9, 2025
Curry's teammate, Draymond Green, pointed out that because of Curry's slight frame and mild manner, opponents tend to see him as a pushover.
"Everybody tries to mistake him for some soft guy," Green said. "But he's never backing down from anybody. So, I love to see it, I wish he'd get a few more."
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This story was originally published March 9, 2025 at 8:10 AM.