Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

It was an ugly night at Oracle Arena as the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Warriors 123-95 to send the Warriors down for the fourth straight game. It was the first time in the Steve Kerr era that the Warriors have lost four in a row. The last time that happened was in the 2012-13 season when Mark Jackson coached the Warriors.

The Warriors’ Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Alfonzo McKinnie were not available, and the team missed them immensely. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson played well, but the rest of the team, except for two-way player Damion Lee, did not help the club in scoring.

The Thunders’ Steve Adams controlled the boards at both ends of the court. The Thunder pulled down 61 boards compared to the Warriors’ 42. The Thunder had 18 offensive rebounds, and they seemed to get second and third chance opportunities to score. They took 23 more shots than the Warriors, and they made 13 3-point shots while the Warriors made just seven.

The Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, still working his way back into shape, had a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. The Thunder had five players in double figures, and Dennis Schroder, acquired in a trade from the Atlanta Hawks, had a season-high 32 points, and he made five three for the first time in his career.

The Warriors fell behind early again as they had done in the last three games in Texas. The Thunder finished with a five-point advantage 23-18 after the first 12 minutes of play. The Warriors could not get the offense going, and they failed to make a three-point shot in the period.

In the second quarter, the Warriors regained the lead 31-29. They seemed to be on track to get the offense rolling until the Thunder went on an 8-0 run to make it 37-31. The Thunder took 14 more shots than the Warriors in the first half and scored 13 points off turnovers. The Thunder were dominating in all facets of the game, and they led 60-46 at the end of two periods of action. Durant and Thompson paced the team with 14 points each. None of the other starters had more than 4, and Damion Lee, coming off the bench, had 5. Steve Adams led the Thunder with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Paul George added 13, and Schroder had 16.

The Warriors outscored the Thunder 33-27 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to eight 89-79. Klay Thompson started to get hot but had to come out as he picked up his fourth personal foul about midway through the quarter. Damion Lee and Kevin Durant were the offense in the quarter. Quinn Cook made a three to help the Warrior close the gap, but it was clear that they would have to find somehow a way to stop the Thunder offense as well as improve their attack.

The Warriors scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to make it a 4-point game 89-85. That was close as the Warriors would get as the Thunder went on a 14-0 run. They were ahead by 18 when the Warriors broke the spell, but the damage was done, and there was no way they were going to win. The Thunder outscored them 36-16 in the final period to win 123-95.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors’ record for the season is now 12-7.

The Thunder, starting the season 0-4, are now 11-6 for the year.

Kevin Durant finished the night with a double-double: 27 points and 14 rebounds.

Klay Thompson was 10-for-23 from the floor. He made three 3-pointers in 8 attempts and finished with 27 points.

Damion Lee was the only other Warrior in double figures with 13. The eight other Warrior players contributed just 28 points in the losing effort.

The Thunder had five players in double-figures. Schroder had 32, Paul George 25, Jerami Grant 14, Adams 20, and Westbrook 11. Grant and Adams both had a double-double-night.

The Thunder had two players leave the game with an injury. Terrance Ferguson left the game in the first half and did not return to action. Hamidou Diallo suffered a leg injury in the fourth quarter and left the court on a stretcher. There was no information available at the end of the game as to the extent of the injury.

Up Next: The Warriors are off on Thanksgiving day. They return to action Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm PT.

They then play the Sacramento Kings Saturday at 5:30 pm PT. Steph Curry will not be available. There is a possibility that Draymond Green will return to action.