March 8 was as weird as a day could get. Count in a fire alarm, an iconic milestone by Stephen Curry, followed by a dramatic confrontation with his opponent, and the matchup made sure no one was bored. Right before the Warriors‘ 115-110 win over the Pistons, the Curry found himself right in the middle of some serious drama. Things got heated near the Pistons’ bench when Isaiah Stewart—who’s got a bit of a reputation for these kinds of things—took offense to something Curry did. Whatever it was, Stewart wasn’t having it. He stood up, ready to escalate, and for a second, it looked like things could get ugly. However, a timely intervention safeguarded Curry from what could’ve been a massive repercussion from the NBA. But before we get to that…

As the Warriors returned for a home game after a five-game road trip, everything but the game of basketball turned heads. While Curry’s team held a 9-0 lead initially, the Pistons answering with an 8-0 run prompted Steve Kerr to quickly call for a timeout. However, as the teams were set to return, a fire alarm went off ahead of the second quarter. “Attention: There has been a fire alarm reported in the building. Proceed to the nearest exit and leave the build. Do not use the elevator,” read a message on the jumbotron. Around two minutes later, it was deemed as false.

Overall, the game saw a total of 56 fouls between the two teams, resulting in a  77 free-throw attempts, with the Warriors leading with seven more three-pointers. However, it was ultimately Draymond Green (12 points) who sealed the win with 35 seconds to go with a clutch three-pointer. Yet, it was Curry’s day after all, as he—intentionally or unintentionally—made sure the attention was on him, throughout…

The controversy began in the fourth quarter when Curry reportedly made a trolling gesture near the opponents’ bench that Stewart didn’t take too kindly. He pushed the veteran lightly, following which the latter immediately turned back and charged at the 26-year-old. Words were exchanged, several players immediately rushed in between, with former Warriors teammates Lindy Waters and Dennis Schroder jumping in, separating them before it turned into something more. However, Stewart didn’t back down as he made a hand gesture, while making some inaudible, but definitely angry, statements.

The cameras caught every second of it, and the ESPN broadcast wasted no time dissecting the moment. “Kind of going on over the bench, as you see. Isaiah Stewart didn’t take too kindly to Steph Curry and his non-verbal actions. Steph throwing the bench, Stewart not liking that,” one of the commentators pointed out. It was classic Stewart—fiery, intense, and never backing down. As expected, both Curry and Stewart got hit with technical fouls, but let’s be real—this could have been way worse.

Because when the league sees an altercation like this, they don’t just let it slide, handing out fines—anywhere between $25,000 to $35,000, depending on how bad they think it was. But if things had gotten physical? That’s when suspensions start coming into play. We’ve seen it before. Green got hit with a five-game suspension (without pay) in 2023 for a similar situation, and if this had escalated, Curry could have been looking at something similar. But let’s be real—Steph isn’t the kind of player to get caught up in this stuff. At most, he’d be looking at a fine.

As for the game, he finished with 32 points on 8-of-22 shooting from the field, 4-of-15 from beyond the arc, and made all of his 12 free throw attempts for the night. Notably, had Curry scored more than 40 points, he would’ve joined an exclusive club of players who’ve had a 40-point showing against all 30 NBA teams—LeBron James became the first player to achieve the feat in January 2023. However, The Golden Boy made up for it by becoming the 26th player to notch over a staggering 25,000 points throughout his career.

As for the others, Gui Santos added 15 points and six rebounds during the game, while Jimmy Butler contributed with 26 points.

Top Comment by marcH01

We all know that Isaiah is a hot head..and Curry was just walking by on the floor, Isaiah was just...more

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As for Stewart? He added seven points, and three rebounds. What’s more? The altercation was just another chapter in his long history of on-court incidents. Who could forget the time he went after LeBron James in 2021? After taking a shot to the face, Stewart lost it—full-on charging at LeBron, forcing security and teammates to hold him back. That meltdown cost him a two-game suspension. Then there was the 2024 incident with Drew Eubanks, when Stewart allegedly punched him in a parking lot before a game.

That one didn’t just get him in trouble with the league—he caught an assault charge for it. Throw in a Flagrant 2 on Giannis, an ejection against the Pacers for a taunting gesture, and countless other run-ins, and it’s clear: Stewart plays with fire. But Curry rarely does…

Stephen Curry’s rare emotional outbursts

Let’s talk about Steph for a second. Because if there’s one thing he’s known for—besides, you know, being the greatest shooter of all time—it’s his composure. Curry doesn’t get rattled easily. He’s been at the center of the biggest moments in NBA history and usually keeps his cool. But even he has had his moments.

Remember Game 6 of the 2016 Finals? The mouthguard throw? He got so frustrated that he flung it into the stands—and ended up hitting a fan. That cost him $25,000 and an ejection. Then in 2024, after Team USA’s Olympic gold medal win, he had a heated moment with French photographers when they started crowding his family. He didn’t get physical, but he made it very clear that they needed to back off, especially after Ayesha had already had a rough run-in with local authorities.

Point is, Curry is human. Even he has his limits. But this whole thing with Stewart? It never really had the chance to blow up into something bigger. At the end of the day, though, this wasn’t just about the altercation—it was about another huge Warriors win. The victory pushed Golden State to 36-28, keeping them right in the playoff hunt.

The Pistons also put up a fight, especially in the third quarter when they started cutting into the Warriors’ lead. Cade Cunningham was cooking with 31 points, and Malik Beasley added 17. But in the end, the experience won out. The Warriors executed when it mattered most, and that was the difference.

So yeah, Stephen Curry and Stewart had their moment. And sure, it added some drama to the night. But really, all it did was put an extra spotlight on another legendary performance from Steph.

Just another normal night in the NBA.