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.

Playing for their cherished “brate”—the Serbian term for brother that Milojević so adoringly used for all of the Warriors—the Splash Brothers shone. Jonathan Kuminga scored twenty-five points, making all eleven of his shots, leading seven Warriors players to double figures.

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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, which was worn during warmups. There was also a unique black T-shirt with the word “BRATE” draped over the seat.

At a team dinner in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night, Milojević had a heart αттαcк 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 minute of sadness, Warriors coach Steve Kerr asked the sellout crowd—the team’s 500th consecutive as a whole—to give a standing ovation in honor of the happiness Milojević showed each and 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.

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.

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.

The 2020–21 Spurs, who missed nine games from February 14–24, 2021, due to the pαndemic, 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.