Playing for the 53rd time opposite LeBron James — who in his 22nd season is a force of power and poise while hunting match-ups and attacking or passing depending on how the Warriors guarded him — Curry made 7 of 11 fourth-quarter field-goal attempts to help Golden State with a 10-point deficit. A fall-away corner triple that kissed the ceiling with 12.2 seconds left preceded his ensuing game-tying 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds to go.

But Reaves shook Andrew Wiggins on the following possession and converted a layup unabated amid absent help from Jonathan Kuminga. “Austin made a great play,” coach Steve Kerr affirmed.

“Talented player. Can score at all three levels,” Wiggins added before dignifying the reverence Curry garners while addressing the Warriors.

Curry said he’s “sure everybody has a different answer” regarding the morale among the Warriors (15-14) after their 11th “clutch” loss of 2024-25.

Clutch as defined by the NBA means a five-point difference — at maximum — in the final five minutes of play.

Clutch is also what Curry conventionally defined with his fourth-quarter showing against the Lakers, against whom he scored his season high after scoring 10 points Monday in a six-point loss to the Indiana Pacers.

“I still have hope and faith and confidence that we can figure it out. That’s how I’m built,” Curry said after logging nearly 36 minutes. “You go out there and you talk about it, but how you execute, how you show up on a nightly basis — the effort we’re giving, even considering what our record has been over the last stretch, that’s a team that’s desperate, trying to figure it out.