Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) takes a jump shot over the Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) in first half action at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thu Nov 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (6-7) knew they would have to be at their best to beat the young and talented Oklahoma City (8-4) Thunder squad. Warriors guard Stephen Curry was out of action due to knee soreness, and Draymond Green was suspended for five games.

Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr, inserted Jonathan Kuminga and Dario Saric into the starting lineup. Chris Paul was the leader of the first unit. The last time the two teams met in OKC, the Warriors won 141-139.

The Warriors had to find a way to hold down the Thunder offense. Well, the Warriors had seven players in double figures. All the players contributed on offense. The Warriors came back from a seven-point deficit at halftime to climb within a point of tying the game at 84 in the third quarter.

The fans were on their feet, cheering the team on. OKC broke the game open as they were red hot from behind the three-point arc. The Thunder made 19 threes to roll over the Warriors,128-109.

The Warriors started well in the first period. The Warriors led 15-13 when the Thunder went on a 27-9 run to end the quarter leading 39-24. The Warriors didn’t help their cause, as they committed seven turnovers in the period. The Warriors shot 36% from the floor, while OKC shot 56%.

The Thunder continued to roll over the Warriors for most of the second period. OKC increased the lead to 19, 59-40. Dario Saric, Andrew Wiggins, and Chris Paul sent the Warriors on a 20-8 to end the first half trailing by seven, 67-60. The Warriors went to the locker room feeling that they had turned things around.

As mentioned above, The Warriors did play well in the third quarter. They came within a point of tying the game. The Thunder led 84-83. That would be the closest the Warriors would ever get. The Thunder continued to make three-pointers. OKC’s Isaiah Joe was seven-for-seven from downtown. The Thunder closed out the third quarter, leading 94-85.

OKC poured it on in the fourth quarter. They beat the Warriors 34-24 in the fourth quarter to win the Game 128-109.

Game Notes: The Warriors lost their fifth game in a row, and their record is now 6-7. OKC has won five of their last six and are now 8-4. The teams play again on Saturday at the Chase Center,

The good news for coach Kerr was the play of his reserves. Jonathan Kuninga led the Warriors with 21 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Saric had 12, Andrew Wiggins had 12, Paul had 15, Moses Moody had 12, and Brandin Podzienski had 13 points and eight rebounds.

Kevon Looney was everywhere. Looney scored 13 hard-earned points, and he snagged eleven boards. Thompson played well in most aspects of the game. Thompson moved well without the play, was excellent on defense, set up screens, and assisted on shots.

However, Thompson could not find the basket. He scored five points. He made just one basket from the floor in ten tries. Every time Thompson had the ball in his hands, two OKC Defenders were on him to keep him from taking good shots.

The Thunder had six players in double figures. Isaiah Joe finished the night with 23 points. As mentioned earlier, he made seven threes in seven tries. Shea Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 24. Jalen William had 16, Josh Giddey had 19, Cason Williams had 10, and Chet Holmgren had a double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds.

The schedule has not been kind to the Warriors at this point in the season. The Warriors play OKC Saturday night, the resurgent Houston Rockets, The Phoenix Suns on the road, and the San Antonio Spurs.

The Warriors will have to pull out all the stops to get some wins against these teams. Let’s hope that Thompson and Wiggins return to their past greatness.