"Try to lose yourself in the game."
Coach Steve Kerr shared those words to the Golden State Warriors, who turned emotional just moments before tip-off, celebrating the memory of departed assistant coach Dejan Milojevic.
Splash brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson took it to heart in the Warriors' return to the hard court, beating out the Trae Young-less Atlanta Hawks, 134-112.
Curry finished with 25 big points while Thompson followed with 24. Big man Jonathan Kuminga also supplied the Dubs with 25 markers on 11/11 FG.
Jonathan Kuminga DIDN'T MISS in the Warriors win against the Hawks!
— NBA (@NBA) January 25, 2024
25 PTS
100% FG (11/11 FGM)
9 REB
2 BLK pic.twitter.com/JUV7k37sUT
The Warriors’ victory was more than just a win, it was a meaningful way to honor their late assistant coach Dejan Milojevic who died last week. The Serbian suffered a heart attack during a team dinner in Salt Lake City.
A pregame ceremony was held in his honor. They played his national anthem and the sidelined players Chris Paul and Gary Payton II wore jerseys with his name at the back.
Klay and Draymond were emotional during Deki's tribute 💔 pic.twitter.com/W2XDZwFdjD
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 25, 2024
Both teams struggled in defense as they couldn’t contain each other’s shotmaking. The Warriors managed to turn it around in the third when the Splash Brothers took over and scored a combined 16 points to slowly push the lead to two digits.
Golden State eventually extended its lead to more than 30, thanks to the Warriors bench outscoring the Hawks bench, 61-21.
The Atlanta Hawks was led by Dejounte Murray with 23 points in the ball club’s third consecutive loss. Jalen Johnson meanwhile notched 21 points for his team.
What he said
Emotions were high at Chase Center as they lost one of the most beloved people in the whole Warriors community—their Brate, coach Deki.
"You know Deki would love nothing more than to see us go out there compete and have fun as best we can," Curry said.
"You know Deki would love nothing more than to see us go out there compete and have fun as best we can."
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 25, 2024
Steph on all the emotions of tonight's game 💙 pic.twitter.com/DRuVa3DmyH
