Steph Curry’s clutch "Night Night" moment puts Brooklyn back in its place

Warriors guard Stephen Curry sleeps well in New York City.

Curry, who nailed seven threes and all nine of his free throws Thursday night, hit his signature "Night Night" celebration on the Nets with just over a minute left to play. Of course, it came following a three that put the Warriors up double digits.

Knowing the city never sleeps, by no means could Brooklyn surrender.

Nets guard Cam Thomas cut the deficit to two with 9.7 seconds remaining, putting pressure on Curry at the line after the ensuing foul, but that late 8-0 run wasn’t enough to overcome what the greatest shooter of all time does best. 

The Baby-Faced Assassin posted 40 points, four assists and four rebounds in 36 minutes, while Jimmy Butler added 25 points, six assists and three steals, both individually outscoring the entire Nets roster outside of Cameron Johnson (26 points). Curry and Butler improved to 10-1 as a duo, averaging 47.5 points, 11.4 assists and 9.3 rebounds per game combined. 

Brooklyn’s crowd even paid respect to the legend for his offensive clinic, showering Curry with MVP chants inside Barclays Center. It was fair for Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez to acknowledge his team’s effort after the game despite a 40-ball, and he couldn’t have said it better — that’s just how things look when you face a generational talent like Curry. 

Now 1-7 across the last eight matchups, play-in hopes doused, Brooklyn’s 121-119 loss to the Warriors sets the franchise 3.5 games back from the No. 10 seed and just one game away from top-five NBA Draft Lottery odds. The Nets (21-41) currently have an 8.3 percent chance to win the No. 1 overall pick.

Next up: Brooklyn travels to Charlotte on March 8 for an evening battle with the Hornets (6 p.m. ET).

Stephen Curry’s “Night Night”

The 2021-22 Finals MVP and two-time NBA scoring champ first pushed his ‘Night Night’ celebration into the mainstream during Golden State’s last championship run, then as many know brought it back to the forefront of sports again last year after his “Golden Dagger” in the Paris Olympics.. 

"You can tell how un-choreographed that stuff is," Curry explained in 2022. "I was having fun. You talk about having kids and how bedtime routines are important. It's the final signal for a job well done that day.”

For the wrestling fans out there, it’s reminiscent of what WWE superstar CM Punk throws up for his “Go To Sleep” finisher. 

List of cities Curry put to sleep

• Sacramento

• Dallas

• Boston 

• Houston

• Portland

• Paris

• New York City

• Memphis

• Denver 

• Brooklyn 

Curry has also tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Rick Barry in 40-point games (70). Kevin Durant (71), LeBron James (79) and James Harden (105) are the only active players with more.