Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks, center, is fouled by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Houston.
David J. Phillip/AP
The Golden State Warriors’ lead broadcaster has had it with Dillon Brooks trying to injure Warriors star Steph Curry throughout Wednesday’s Game 5 matchup against the Rockets.
NBC Sports Bay Area play-by-play announcer Bob Fitzgerald and color commentator Kelenna Azubuike accused the Houston player of intentionally targeting Curry’s injured thumb on his right hand. The Dubs star picked up the injury on April 11 during a game against the Portland Trail Blazers, and has worn a wrap around his hand protecting that digit since.
The first accusation came about 8:19 in the first quarter when Curry shot a 3-pointer and Brooks hit No. 30’s hand on a follow-through block attempt.
“They are targeting Curry’s thumb,” Fitzgerald said. “The whack on the right hand, that happened multiple times, they know he’s been injured there.”
Curry seemed to agree as he spoke with the officials and mimed what Brooks did to him to make contact. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also spoke with officials after the play. Azubuike referred to this type of defense as the “high-five contest,” saying defenders were getting away with contact on a shooter’s hand on closeouts and rhetorically asking, “Where does it cross the line?” Fitzgerald added that the Rockets were “taking their chances” with the contact on the injured thumb, to which Azubuike replied, “I told you Dillon Brooks was going to be doing that.”
The topic came up again toward the end of the second quarter, when Curry attempted another 3-pointer as Brooks tried to block it with about 25 seconds left to go in the half. Fitzgerald made sure to note, “That is not accidental, by the way,” before launching into a small diatribe against the Rockets player.
“You can look at the last two games,” Fitzgerald bemoaned. “Every time Steph launches a three and Dillon Brooks is there, he is whacking his right hand. Every. Single. Time. He’s doing it with intent that something may happen to Curry.”
Sure enough, observant fans called out this tactic by Brooks in Game 3.
The good news is that even if this is some conscious plan from Houston, Curry might not need to worry about the attempts on his thumb much longer in Game 5. The Rockets’ blowout lead quickly ballooned to 27 again in the second half, and Kerr seemed to pull Curry and the starters for the night midway through the third quarter. Houston leads 107-80 at the end of the third quarter.