Tuesday night’s 111-97 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in their preseason game suggests that the Golden State Warriors are primed for the upcoming regular season campaign. During this game, Stephen Curry and Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell got into some lighthearted banter.

Curry didn’t have the best night (16 PTS, 6 AST, 5 REB, 6/18 FGM), but the club was happy that he was getting more playing time in front of the new campaign. His competitive nature also showed as he played a practical joke on Russell, shaming him with a shimmy celebration only moments after Russell had scored a three-pointer over him.

It was a busy summer for Curry and the Warriors in 2024. The executive office of Golden State was attempting to determine how to rebuild their squad around the greatest three-point shooter in basketball history, Klay Thompson, while he was in Paris helping Team USA win gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Even though he didn’t exactly have his shooting touch in this game, Curry seemed to be continuing where he left off during the Olympics, where he was dominant for the United States. Curry is essentially the Warriors’ whole offense, as we repeatedly saw last season, so it will be essential for them to have him perform to the best of his abilities this coming season.

This will undoubtedly not make Russell happy that he was overshadowed by Curry, but that’s what happens when you poke the bear, who also happens to be the best shooter in basketball history. In their preseason finale, these two teams will play again on Friday night. If Curry and Russell end up suiting up for the game, it will be interesting to watch if they indulge in further trolling.