ORACLE ARENA, OAKLAND, CA — After having their sixteen-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors were back home on Thursday night to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were on their own seven-game winning streak.
David Lee and Andrew Bogut were out again. The Warriors announced details of Bogut’s injury earlier in the day at morning shootaround.
1ST QUARTER: Durant Heat Check
It only took 2:09 of elapsed play clock before Festus Ezeli, starting for the injured Bogut, picked up his second foul, after helping on a Russell Westbrook attack on Stephen Curry down the left side of the lane. The first foul was on a help on Kevin Durant, who took a huge step on the bounce by Harrison Barnes, left baseline, and converting the and-one at the rim against Ezeli. Marreese Speights checked in at the 9:51 mark for Ezeli.
Westbrook was in sixth gear early to start, driving on every opportunity he could against Curry, who with Westbrook’s length, was seemingly giving up at least four inches in height. Westbrook was in full “swag” mode, even drilling a three in Curry’s face as Speights shaded all the way over, even playing tippy-toe with the side of the paint so as not to get called on the defensive three-seconds rule, and while ignoring Thunder small forward Andre Roberson wide open on the weakside.
Harrison Barnes found himself streaking down the court one-on-one in the early offense on Serge Ibaka, but Ibaka blocked him at the rim and gave a Dikembe Mutombo finger wag to the #Roaracle crowd.
Durant then hit a jumper and Warriors head coach called timeout with the Warriors trailing, 16-7, with 8:35 to go. On the “ATO” (after-timeout play), Curry fed Speights with a laser under the rim, but Durant played pick-and-roll with Ibaka and nailed a trey in response. And, guess what, the Durant torch was lit.
Another three by Durant on an early offense pull-up made it 22-9 with 6:55 to play in the first frame, but Draymond Green answered that with an elbow jumper as the Thunder dared him to shoot. Durant hit yet another after that, Speights bricked an inside banker against Kendrick Perkins, then it was Westbrook charging ahead for a fastbreak layup, before Green got a dunk to curb yet another mini-run led by the Thunder’s superstars.
Perhaps inspired by Westbrook and Durant, Ibaka launched an early trey and nailed it and, just like that, the Dubs were down, 30-13, with about five minutes remaining.
But Westbrook would miss a three and Andre Iguodala, who had subbed in for Barnes after Durant got hot, led the break and found Klay Thompson on the wing. Thompson dribbled and stepped back from the left corner and his three was good.
After Westbrook turned the ball over going to deep into the paint, Curry hit a three-pointer, then deflected a Westbrook pass and, on the ensuing break, fed a perfect left-handed behind-the-back bounce pass to a wide open, streaking Green, who missed the dunk:
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After Speights got a technical for arguing a foul on yet another Westbrook screaming drive, Shaun Livingston, who had checked in for Curry at the 2:51 mark, leaked past the defense for a reverse layup around Kendrick Perkins, and then Green got a trey after former Warriors Anthony Morrow hit an elbow jumper.
With the quarter coming to a close, Westbrook missed a jumper and Barnes got the rebound, then bounded down the court, pulled up from about 22 feet, and nailed the buzzer-beater with 0.6 to go.
The Thunder took a 40-32 lead into the second frame. Durant led all scorers with 16 points on 6-for-7 field, 3-for-4 downtown. Westbrook added 13. Green led the Warriors with 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting. The Thunder had 5 assists on 15 made shots, the Warriors 9 assists on 14, with Green and Curry 3 assists each.
2ND QUARTER: Splash Brothers Counter-Attack, Ankles Tweak!
In the beginning of the second, the Warriors chipped away at the Thunder lead. Iguodala and Barnes three-pointers were met by a Durant three, which had Iguodala falling at his feet, and another jumper and an Ibaka slam dunk. Green blocked Durant, then Durant blocked Green. But Thunder head coach Scott Brooks called a timeout with 10:06 to go after Curry delivered a sling pass to a wide-open Barnes for a three-pointer that cut the Thunder lead to 44-38.
The Warriors then went on a 9-0 run as Curry and Green played pick-and-roll and exchanged layups doing so, then Livingston made a turnaround. Barnes got a deflection and Iguodala let the ensuing pass to him go to Curry, who was standing beyond the arc, and Curry drilled the three with Andre effectively providing the ad hoc screen, making it 48-47, Thunder, with 7:30 to go.
Livingston gave the Warriors the lead on a broken play with him dribbling around, trying to find a seam, then finally deciding to nail a jumper.
Westbrook tried to respond with a hard dribble penetration, but as the defense collapsed, he lost the ball and tried to get it back, with Curry falling to the ground while also reaching for it. The whistle blew and the referee gave the ball to the Warriors, saying Westbrook had gone outside then back in illegally. Brooks blew a gasket and picked up a technical, and Curry drilled the technical to cap a 9-0 run.
Durant stopped the run with two free throws after drawing a foul on Barnes, who ripped off his mask in disgust of the call. Meanwhile, Kerr rolled the dice by inserting Justin Holiday.
But it was the #SplashBrothers who took over as Thompson and Curry played a bit of keep away, passing to each other as each dribbled around, trying to find a lane. It ended with Curry drilling a three from thirty feet away as the shotclock horn went off. The torch was lit.
After Curry found a lane and drove hard right on Perry Jones for a layup, Curry missed a trey, but Speights got the rebound and slung the ball to Thompson in the left corner, who drilled it and gave the Warriors an improbable 60-52 lead with 3:24 left in the half.
Curry then stole the ball from Westbrook’s hip on another drive attempt by Russ, but couldn’t handle the ball dribbling closer to the rim, and the approaching Ibaka, on the ensuing fastbreak.
It was a golden opportunity missed as Durant hit two threes in a row, the second of which was with Green draped all over him.
Then Curry got in the lane and scored a layup, but stepped on Durant’s foot in the process, slightly twisting his left ankle. At the next dead ball, Curry had a slight limp.
But Curry would pass the ankle-tweak bug to Durant as Durant drove in, but Speights took a charge. Lying on his back, Durant clutched his right ankle. Durant headed to the bench limping with help from his teammates as Jones checked in for him to close out the last few seconds.
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The quarter ended on that whimper as the Warriors took a 65-63 lead into halftime. Durant had an incredible 30 points in 18:44 minutes of play, 10-for-13 from the field and 5-for-6 from downtown.
Curry had 19 on 7-for-12 field and 4-for-8 beyond the arc, while Green added 14 and Thompson 10.
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