Stephen Curry pulled out a move that looked eerily similar to James Harden's signature double stepback, but he didn't get away with it.
The Warriors star was called for traveling during the fourth quarter of Golden State's 127-123 victory over the Kings on Saturday, though NBA officials have defended Harden's stepback as a legal basketball play in the past.
Steph got called for a travel doing the "Harden" ? pic.twitter.com/4Q5MVlD7em
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 6, 2019
Curry threw up a 13 (Harden's number) toward the referee after he got called for it, and explained his reaction after the game, saying it wasn't a premeditated move.
Steph Curry on throwing up a 13 to the referee after he got called for a travel on a James Harden like stepback: “I’ve seen that once or twice. Tried it myself. Obviously they got confused. They knew it was someone else, so they called it.” pic.twitter.com/hBGgaCcsk9
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 6, 2019
“I’ve seen that once or twice. Tried it myself. Obviously they got confused. They knew it was somebody else, so they called it," Curry told reporters after the game. "It was nothing premeditated. It was just step first, step back. I didn't really create enough space and so I tried a little quick one. Got called for it."
To put in perspective how much the stepback looked like Harden's, take a look at the side-by-side video comparison of the two players:
Side-by-side view of James Harden's regular stepback three-pointer and Stephen Curry's failed imitation attempt pic.twitter.com/LjgKhdLTkg
— The Render (@TheRenderNBA) January 6, 2019
Despite the controversy, Curry finished the night with 42 points and five rebounds. He went 10-for-20 from 3-point range to help the Warriors improve to 26-14.
