Tag: Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren hits a three point shot against the Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) and forward Kevon Looney (in front) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Nov 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors (6-7) lost a real knuckle cracker against the Oklahoma City (8-4) Thunder Saturday night 130-123 in overtime. Andrew Wiggins had his season high game with 31 points and was the reason that the Warriors had a great chance to win this game. With 1.6 seconds left on the clock the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren hit an unlikely 25-foot three point shot to tie the game at 117 and drive this game into overtime.

Warriors fans sure got their moneys worth in Saturday’s Warrior game versus the Thunder. In their last meeting Thursday night Golden State lost to the Thunder 128-101. Back on November 3rd the Warriors did beat Oklahoma City in a close one 141-139. The Warriors were looking forward to ending their five game losing streak only to have it continued with the overtime loss.

Game recap: The Thunder won the first quarter 33-31 in a very tight game. The Warriors turned things around in the second quarter winning that quarter 30-18 and had a 61-51 lead going into halftime. The Warriors had held the Thunder to 29% shooting in the second quarter and were looking solid heading into the locker room.

The Thunder got things under control winning the third quarter 34-26 trailing the Warriors by two points 87-85. A real battle got underway in the fourth quarter. Andrew Wiggins came unglued having a season high game.

In the closing seconds of the final quarter Wiggins hit a three pointer to take a 117-114 lead. When it looked like the Warriors would break their losing streak the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren nailed a three point tying shot with 1.6 seconds on the clock sending this game into overtime.

The overtime was not a good one for Golden State getting outscored 13-6 by the Thunder. Oklahoma City had won back-to-back wins at Chase handing the Warriors their sixth loss in a row 130-123.

The star of the show for the Warriors was Wiggins scoring a season high 31 points for Golden State. He was 12 of 19 from the field and had five 3s. Warrior guard Stephen Curry finished with 25 points and seven rebounds. This was the first time this season that he did not have the high score for the team. The Warriors are still dealing with the suspension of Draymond Green and Gary Payton II is still out with a left foot strain.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had the high score for the Thunder with 40 points which was a huge part of this win for Oklahoma City and Chet Holmgren who pushed this game into overtime had a season high of 36 points.

Monday night the Warriors will take on the Houston Rockets at Chase Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM PT.

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.

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) passes the ball past Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (left) at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Fri Nov 3, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

In a second wild finish in as many nights, the Golden State Warriors won their fifth road game in a row 141-139 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Last Wednesday it was Klay Thompson who hit the winning shot and tonight it was Stephen Curry making a driving layup who closed this game out. Both of them hit those shots with next to nothing on the game clock.

After winning a thriller Wednesday night beating the Sacramento Kings 102-101 the Golden State Warriors (5-1) took on the Thunder (3-3) Friday night in another road game. Thompson was the hero in the game against the Kings hitting the winning shot with 0.2 seconds left on the clock and this starting roster will be looking for a fast start in this road game. They’re road record continues to be unblemished having won every away game so far this season, five in total.

Game recap: The Warriors took the lead after the opening quarter 38-33 but the Thunder came roaring back winning the second quarter 34-31. Despite winning the quarter, the Thunder trailed Golden State 69-67 as this game went into halftime. OKC continued to hang around as this game went on playing with tenacity and drive. Both teams were having incredible offensive games.

This was a crazy game from the very beginning. The Thunder brought their A-game knowing full well that they would have to if they wanted to get past Golden State. Despite the Warriors shooting at 55% going into the fourth quarter the Thunder did them one better shooting at close to 62%. The Warriors were shooting from downtown at 47% but again the Thunder were better shooting 53%. OKC won the third quarter 39-37 and after three this game was all tied up at 106.

Both teams were playing a great game and with five minutes left in the fourth quarter the Warriors trailed 129-127. Golden State continued to hang around in the quarter staying close. The Warriors excel at closing out games in the final minutes of games but the Thunder were playing some amazing offense.

This game was going down to the wire as the Thunder continued to press Golden State and the game was a long way from being done. Could there be another last second win for Golden State in this game?

With under three minutes left in the game again it was Thompson to the rescue hitting a three and tying up the game at 133. This game was far from decided with 2:09 on the clock and the Thunder holding a slim 134-133 lead.

Every possession for the rest of the game was critical for both teams with 1:41 left. Head Coach Steve Kerr challenged a call in the closing minutes which failed. Not long after, there was another review which went the Warriors way.

This game had entered the realm of officially crazy. There was less than a minute left in the game and OKC had a 136-135 lead. Thompson was fouled and going to the line he hit both free throws giving Golden State the lead 137-136 in another nail-biter.

Another challenge from Golden State failed with 32.5 ticks on the clock. This game had come down to the final 21 seconds and it was still anybody’s game with the shot clock turned off. There were 16 seconds left in regulation and this game was tied at 139. Golden State had possession and 16 seconds is more than enough time for Golden State to nail this game down.

With Draymond Green touching the rim on a Curry shot, the winning shot was nullified or was it? While Green did touch the rim, the Thunder’s Josh Giddey grabbed the net and the shot was called good for a 141-139 win as the clock ran out on OKC.

The Warriors had their fifth road win in a row keeping their record unblemished. For a second game in a row the Warriors exhibited a championship finish.

This game went down to the wire with two teams that put forth terrific offensive effort. Curry finished with 28 points and hit the game winning shot. Dario Saric had the high off the bench with 20 points.

The Thunder had the Warriors on the ropes for the entire second half until the final 16 seconds of play but came up short. Every OKC starter finished with double digits, and Loguentz Dort had the high for the entire game with 29 points.

Golden State continues on this road trip looking for their sixth road win of the season traveling to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse this Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 PM.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, top left, reaches for the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (5) and guard Moses Moody, bottom, during the first half at Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Apr 4, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (42-38) played their final home game of the regular season Tuesday night at the Chase Center. Their opponent were the Oklahoma City Thunder (38-42).

OKC beat the Warriors in Oklahoma City the last time the teams played. The young Thunder players love to drive to the rim and get opportunities to make three-point plays.

The Warriors did not have Klay Thompson available Tuesday night. Thompson was a late scratch due to tightness in his lower back. Steve Kerr had Jonathan Kuminga and Anthony Lamb in the starting lineup and that made the difference for the missing Thompson in the Warriors 136-125 win.

The game turned out to be a high-scoring affair. The Thunder shot a blistering 59.6% from the floor in the first half. The Thunder won the first quarter 39-36. The Thunder scored 40 points in the second period. The Warriors scored 33 in the period but found themselves down 79-69 at the end of two periods of play.

Curry led the Warriors with 24. No other Warrior was in double figures. The Thunder had four players in double figures. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21. Jalen Williams had 14, Isaiah Joe 14, and Lu Dort added 11. 

The Warriors have had several comebacks from double-digit deficits this season. The Warriors would need better defense if they hoped to win. The Warriors needed Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, Draymond Green, and Moses Moody to get going on offense. All those players came through for golden state.

The Warriors won the third quarter 33-27 to cut the deficit to four, 106-102 at the end of the third period. Stephen Curry started the fourth quarter on the bench. Poole met the challenge by making a three to tie the game 108-108. Poole made another bucket to make 110-108.

The Thunder made a three to regain the lead 111-110. Poole made a three and a two-point basket to give the Warriors the advantage 115-113. The Thunder tied the game at 115-115. Curry entered the game and made a three. The Warriors led 118-115. The Thunder didn’t know it then, but they were toast.

The Warriors defense stiffened as they held the Thunder to 19 points in the fourth quarter. The Warriors scored 33. Green, Gary Payton II, and Kevon Looney played well on defense. Curry and Poole led the comeback to give the Warriors the win.

Game Notes: With the win, the Warriors are 42-38. The Warriors are 33-8 at the Chase Center this year. The Warriors are currently in fifth place in the Western Conference. They will drop to sixth as the winner of the Clipper-Laker game will take the fifth spot. The Thunder lost their third in a row and fourth in the last five. The Thunder are now 38-42.

In the second half, the Warrior defense held the Thunder to 39% from the floor. The Warriors won the second half 67-46. 

The Warriors had five players in double figures. Curry paced the offense with 34 points, five rebounds, and six assists, and Curry made six threes. Poole had 30 points, two rebounds, and four assists, and Poole made five threes. Green had quite a night.

Green had 17 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, blocked two shots, and made two steals. DiVincenzo kicked in with 16 points, six boards, and five assists. DiVincezo made four threes. Moody added 13 points. Moody made three threes. Looney recorded 11 boards.

Gilgeous-Alexander paced the Thunder attack with 32 points. Jalen William had 19, Josh Giddey 16, Aaron Wiggins 11, and Isiaah Joe 14.

The Warriors have two games left in the regular season. Both games are on the road. The Warriors meet the Sacramento Kings Friday night in Sacramento for a 7:00 pm PDT tip.