SAN FRANCISCO — The night began with a tribute to Dejan Milojevic, then tears. Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Steve Kerr all broke down as a first public glimpse of this team mourning the sudden death of their beloved assistant coach.
The team had only a few seconds to dry their tears, compartmentalize sadness, and play their first game since Jan. 15, a 134-112 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night at Chase Center.
The tribute opened with video for Milojevic, lovingly called “Deki” by his friends, highlighting his storied career in Serbia and the Adriatic Basketball Association to his impactful years as a coach and mentor. Coach Steve Kerr took the microphone to tell the crowd about the team’s love for Milojevic, whose soul left an indelible mark on the organization.
Milojevic’s wife, Natasa, and two children, Nikola and Masa, were in the stands for the tribute. The team and coaching staff gathered for a huddle to collect themselves and stack their “Milojevic” emblazoned jerseys on his old seat on the bench, left empty with a t-shirt and rose in his honor.
The Warriors got a win for Deki, known for his endearingly brutal honesty about the team’s struggle to play with fire. Jonathan Kuminga was a perfect 11-for-11 from the field with 25 points with 9 rebounds. He was a plus-18 and continues to show exponential growth finishing at the rim. Kuminga ties Chris Mullin for the franchise record for most makes without a miss in the shot clock era, per Elias.
Draymond Green, in his second game back from suspension, was a force on both ends — a plus-19 with 12 points and five rebounds.
Steph Curry had 25 points going 7-for-16 from the field with five 3-pointers made and Klay Thompson had 24 points going 8-for-18 from the field.