Steph Curry Reacts to Hack-A-Looney Strategy

Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry isn't concerned about big man Kevon Looney

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The Denver Nuggets revived a controversial strategy in their win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, intentionally fouling Kevon Looney in the final minutes of the game. Denver successfully deployed the 'Hack-A-Looney' strategy on their way to a win, forcing the big man to make clutch free throws. Looney, who ultimately went just 3/8 from the free-throw line, was unable to make Denver pay for their late-game strategy.

Intentionally fouling the opposition's worst foul shooter is not a new strategy; however, it hasn't been as prevalent in recent years. DeAndre Jordan saw this almost nightly during his time with the Clippers, prompting the league to implement a rule in 2016 that disallowed teams to intentionally foul a player away from the play in the final two minutes of a game.

After Denver's win over Golden State on Wednesday, coach Mike Malone said that the 'Hack-A-Looney' strategy worked perfectly. Malone confirmed that his goal was to get the ball out of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson's hands, which is what the strategy ultimately did. Because the Warriors are so thin up front, Steve Kerr left Looney in the game for his defense on Jokic, which is something coach Malone also noted after the game.

After the game, Warriors superstar Steph Curry was asked about Looney, and said, "We trust what he does, and he's provided so much for us all year. I'm not gonna harp on one game, and he knows that. Obviously as a competitor, you take it pretty hard when you don't play the way that you want to. That's what I respect most, accountability and the way he responds."

There were a lot of plays down the stretch for Golden State that ultimately lost them this game, and while they certainly feel as if it got away, they will enter the All-Star break with the second-best record in all of basketball.

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