Steve Kerr kept to his message, even as some of his players were emotional seconds before tip-off after celebrating the assistant coach they sorely missed: “Try to lose yourself in the game.”

In their first game back following assistant coach Dejan Milojević’s passing last week, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Atlanta Hawks 134–111 on Wednesday night behind 25 points and eight assists from Stephen Curry and 24 points from Klay Thompson.

“Our guys did a really good job of trying to make that transition and settle into the game, even though it wasn’t easy,” Kerr remarked. It was so touching. As the ball was being tipped, many of the teammates started crying.”

Playing for their beloved “brate”—the Serbian word for brother that Milojević so tenderly used to refer to all of the Warriors—the Splash Brothers shone. Kuminga scored 25 points while seven Warriors players scored in double figures, making all 11 of his attempts. He tied the franchise record for most consecutive shots made without missing, held by Hall of Famer Chris Mullin.

It’s been a difficult week, Kuminga remarked. “With everything going on, we naturally kind of regrouped and went outside to enjoy ourselves and do what Deki would have us do.”

The Serbian national song was played in his honor as the two teams stood together on one sideline close to their respective team benches during an emotional pregame ceremony. Then, on one of the coaching chairs, each Warrior player placed an extra jersey with Milojević’s name on the back that they wore during warmups. There was also a unique black T-shirt with the word “BRATE” draped over the seat.

“Our team still has a huge hole in it,” Thompson remarked.

At a team dinner in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night, Milojević had a heart attack and passed on the next day. Chris Paul and Gary Payton II, two injured Warriors, wore their jerseys with Milojević’s number on the back during the whole game.

A tribute film aired on the main screen, and pictures of a grinning “Deki,” as they affectionately called him, could be found all across Chase Center. Instead of a moment of sadness, Kerr asked the sold-out crowd—the Warriors’ franchise-record 500th consecutive—to give a standing ovation in honor of the happiness Milojević displayed every day.

Kerr was surrounded by two Hawks players as the Warriors coach talked about how much of an influence Milojević had on everyone he met. Bogdan Bogdanovic, an Atlanta guard, was a member of Milojević’s Partizan team and is a native of Belgrade. Igor Kokoskov, the assistant coach of the Hawks, coached the Serbian national team and brought Milojević on board.

“This league has such a strong Serbian connection,” Kerr remarked.

In the Hawks’ third straight loss, Bogdanovic led the way with 17 points and four 3-pointers, while Dejounte Murray scored the most with 23 points.

Hawks head coach Quin Snyder stated, “This game had significance beyond the game.”

This past week, Dario Saric took on a role of support for Milojević’s family, and he anticipates thinking of Deki every day for the foreseeable future. It is worth noting that the coach was instrumental in Saric’s decision to join the Warriors.

Saric remarked, “He made such a big impression on me in a short amount of time.” “He reminded me of my elder brother.”

Curry and Thompson combined for 10 of 18 three-pointers made, helping the Warriors finish 48.5% of the way they wanted to. Together, Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green recorded their 400th victory of the regular season.

That’s really unique, Thompson remarked. “Any time I am on the court with those two I’m very grateful.”

The 2020–21 Spurs, who missed nine games from February 14–24, 2021, due to the pandemic, were the first team to miss eight or more days during the regular season, excluding the All-Star break and stoppage. The Warriors did not experience this during the 2020–21 season.

In addition, it was the longest absence from action during a season in the Warriors’ existence.