The Milwaukee Bucks pulled off a thrilling 120-110 win over the Golden State Warriors at Fiserv Forum, even without Giannis Antetokounmpo on the floor. Guarding Stephen Curry was never going to be easy, but the night went just as Doc Rivers had hoped. “It’s just the start for me, man, that’s how I look at it,” said Ryan Rollins after his 32-point performance. It felt like the perfect Halloween gift, until a knock came from the locker room door.

Curry had high praise for his former teammate. He seemed proud of the 23-year-old’s progress since his debut, saying, “Watching him on film before tonight, you can see he’s being very calculated on how to use his speed and create space and get downhill,” Stephen Curry said. “He’s shooting his shot when he’s open. It seems like the game has slowed down enough where he’s making proper reads. You obviously saw it tonight. He played fearless out there. I’m happy for him, but also pissed off.” But wait, there’s a surprise.

A special gift had arrived from the Warriors locker room for Rollins. Curry had sent a signed No. 30 Golden State Warriors jersey for the 23-year-old after a career-high performance. It was a full-circle moment for the 2022 44th pick, who once shared the locker room with the Baby-Faced Assassin. Rollins once learned beside the legend as a rookie.

“Him being Steph Curry, him just being so down-to-earth and humble in how he talked to me when I was just coming in and for who he was at that time, his stature, (it was) very humbling,” Ryan shared with the media. Therefore, the signed jersey from Curry will now “hang on the wall somewhere, for sure,” he said. Meanwhile, Curry confirmed that Ryan Rollins had asked him for the jersey.

What’s more impressive is that Ryan Rollins blazed the floor with a Curry-like 5-for-7 from deep and matched it with fearless defense on his former mentor. The guard set the tone early, guarding Steph like a veteran. Moreover, the night carried weight; he had started his NBA journey with the Warriors, played 12 games there, and was traded in 2023 for Chris Paul. Facing Curry again felt powerfully poetic.

Now, Ryan’s heroics on Thursday seemingly impressed and also troubled the Warriors side. Looks like their homegrown star exploded not for them, but against them. Entering the fourth season of his career, Rollins is putting up numbers, shaking those stats, and declaring his presence. Meanwhile, Steve Kerr and others are looking with both pride and fear.

Stephen Curry’s teammates praised Ryan Rollins’ career-high night

Five games into the season, Ryan Rollins is averaging 18.6 points and 5.0 assists, building on last year’s 6.2 and 1.9. The 23-year-old stayed calm through chaos, even after bumping Curry and taking hard fouls from Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga. Then came his moment, after Curry’s three cut the lead to 106-104, Rollins answered with a dagger ten seconds later, sparking an electric 11-2 run that sealed the win.

Meanwhile, speaking with the media after the loss, the Golden State Warriors HC, Steve Kerr, said, “His (Ryan Rollins) speed gave us a lot of trouble. He got past us, penetrated, either scored at the rim or kicked it to shooters. He was fantastic tonight and played a great game.”

On the other hand, Jimmy Butler added that Rollins’ shot-making ability was most troublesome for the Warriors to manage. And lastly, Draymond noted, “He was great. Decisive started off getting downhill, and then the shots weren’t going. You let guys get confidence and get a rhythm. He was incredible.”

Ryan Rollins turned a regular game night into something poetic. The student faced the master, and for a moment, the balance shifted. Every shot, every fearless drive felt like a message to the past and a promise to the future. Steph smiled through the sting. Kerr nodded in respect. And the Bucks’ locker room roared. Somewhere, a signed jersey now hangs, carrying a story only the game could script.