There's usually not a dull moment when Steph Curry is on the court, especially if Curry is playing against one of the NBA's most notorious villains in Dillon Brooks.
In Thursday's game between the Warriors and Suns, Curry was yet again hounded by his longtime Western Conference foe, who appeared intent on making sure the Golden State superstar didn't have any room to breathe. On one Warriors' possession late in the fourth quarter, Brooks took that perhaps a little too literally.
Curry found some space for himself and got the ball in the corner, and he fired off a three as Brooks was closing him down. Brooks's contest didn't look totally clean, though, as he visibly swiped at Curry's hand after Curry released the ball.
Then, as Brooks was landing, he reached out with his right arm and forcefully hit Curry in the stomach, causing the Warriors star to double over in pain.
Watch that slow-motion replay below:
Dillon Brooks attacks Steph 💀 pic.twitter.com/TnkZGFtHGA
— No Context NBA (@NoContext_NBA_) December 19, 2025
And here's the full video of what led up to Brooks's cheap shot:
Up 5, with 38 seconds remaining in regulation, Dillon Brooks takes a swing at Steph Curry and hits him in the stomach after he contested 3 by Curry (with replays)
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) December 19, 2025
Upon review, the foul was upgraded to a flagrant-1, Curry makes both free throws and Jimmy Butler with the clutch… pic.twitter.com/QiExo5EkAt
The play was reviewed and Brooks's foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1, giving Curry two free throws. On Golden State's next possession, as fate would have it, Jimmy Butler sank a clutch three-pointer over Brooks to tie the game, 96-96. However, the Warriors would end up losing, 99-98.
Brooks addressed his seemingly dirty move on Curry after the game, telling reporters that he has to do some "soul-searching."
“I thought [Curry] was going to try and run to get the rebound, so I tried to stop him,” Brooks said. “Maybe I've been lifting too much. Maybe I got to do what the other guys are doing an lift on game day. I don't know, I can't explain it.”
Ultimately, Brooks seemed to show little remorse for his actual hit on Curry, aside from the fact that it gave the Warriors a pair of free throws and could have cost the Suns the game. After stints with the Grizzlies and Rockets, Brooks's reputation clearly hasn't changed in his first season in Phoenix.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as New Video Makes Dillon Brooks’s Cheap Shot at Steph Curry Look Even Worse.