It was advertised as the league’s hottest rookie point guard going up against one of the best ever, and the youngster prevailed yet again at the home of the two-time MVP.

In his third NBA season, Ja Morant is speaking up during timeouts and demonstrating his development with every big basket, and it was he who made the crucial contributions down the stretch to guarantee he got the ‘W’ in Stephen Curry’s home building once more.

In a rematch of the play-in game from five months ago, which Memphis won 117-112 in overtime on May 21 at Chase Center – and in a game that felt very similar in the way it ebbed and flowed in terms of momentum – Morant made a pivotal driving layup with 57.9 seconds left, scoring 30 points in total, as the Memphis Grizzlies won 104-101 in overtime Thursday night.

« He’s simply making enormous steps all around, as a player, as a leader, he’s finding his voice, » according to coach Taylor Jenkins. « His voice just reverberates throughout. »

Curry finished with 36 points and a full arsenal of threes, including a nearly unbelievable 25-footer off one foot (see above), but went scoreless in the fourth quarter and overtime: 0-for-6. He missed two crucial three-pointers late in the game.

Curry missed a three to end regulation, leaving the teams level at 98, then missed another with 1:18 remaining in overtime to finish 7-for-20 from deep in the Warriors’ first loss after a 4-0 start.

It took some of the luster off Curry’s first three quarters, in which he looked every inch the MVP favorite, which he will be unless injury or some other non-basketball-related factor derail his drive.

Stephen Curry scores 36 points, including seven three-pointers, in the Golden State Warriors’ Week 2 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies.

But his profligacy in the final stages, combined with the Warriors committing a staggering 23 turnovers, many of which were avoidable, meant that the younger of the flamboyant point guards triumphed once again in their personal war.

That’s not to suggest Morant’s supporting cast didn’t help. Jaren Jackson Jr. made some key plays, and Desmond Bane scored 19 points for the Grizzlies, who snapped a two-game losing streak and finished their four-game West Coast trip with a back-to-back after losing 116-96 in Portland on Wednesday night. Morant went 11-for-22 from the field.

« He figures out how to score late in the game, » said Jackson Jr.

At 7:45 in the fourth, Jackson’s three-pointer pulled the Grizzlies within 86-84, but Memphis capitalized on Andre Iguodala’s turnover and knotted it the next time down on De’Anthony Melton’s short jumper.

That sparked a tense, back-and-forth finish reminiscent of the thriller from five months before.

« We communicated a lot better. We just responded extremely well, » Jackson said of making plays on defense. « Winning in overtime is huge. »

With 2:50 left before halftime, Draymond Green fell down holding his knee, but he was fine and wrapped up with a huge block – one of his five on the night – and rebound in the last 18.3 seconds. He had 12 rebounds and 7 assists. Golden State was led by Damion Lee, who scored 14 points off the bench.

« I thought we had a good start to the second quarter, and then we got crazy, » Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

Curry, who made his NBA debut 12 years ago today, shot 11-for-29 and added eight assists and seven rebounds as the Warriors began an eight-game homestand. They were off to their greatest start since going 24-0 in 2015-16.