Tag: Oklahoma City Thunder

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. 

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots as Golden State Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo, right, defends in the first half at Oklahoma City on Tue Mar 7, 2023 (AP News photo)

Another Road Loss For Warriors – Lose to Thunder 137-128

By Barbara Mason

Tuesday night the Golden State Warriors (34-32) took on the Thunder in Oklahoma City (31-34). The Warriors are still looking to turn things around as they enter another road game searching for a winning formula that has so far eluded them this season. Anthony Lamb did not play in this game with foot soreness and Andrew Wiggins remains out.

The Warriors did not want to fall into an early hole in this game. The Warriors have seen this over and over in the first quarter of these road games. Unfortunately for Golden State it was more of the same and they trailed after the first 12 minutes 40-30 and couldn’t hold on in the end losing to the Thunder 137-128.

The Warriors began to turn things around in the second quarter and when all was said and done had shot ten three’s. They still trailed at the half but it was a manageable 68-64. Stephen Curry had 16 points and Klay Thompson had the high with 17. A real shift in favor of the Warriors could be sensed as the “Splash Brothers” got things rolling in the first half.

Golden State took a slim lead in the third quarter as this game remained very tight mid-way through the quarter 83-82 in favor of OKC. The Thunder were beasts from downtown with 14 shots made and five minutes left in the quarter. The Warriors were getting some great looks but could not connect and with 1:37 left in the quarter were faced with an 11 point deficit 101-92.

After three quarters OKC led 105-99. The Warriors have not won a game when trailing after three quarters. The good news however was that Curry was seven of eight from beyond the arc going into the fourth quarter.

The Warriors needed stops and they needed to make shots. It just didn’t happen and the Thunder rode comfortably across the finish line 137-128. You had a game with Curry scoring 40 points, seven assists and Thompson with 23 and Kuminga with 21?

Golden State hit 20 shots from beyond the arc, shoots at almost 53% and still lost. It all points squarely at the defense. With that said, the Warriors did miss too many open shots and had to many turnovers and fouls. It’s yet another road lose as this scourge continues.

Golden State has one more game left on this short road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies Thursday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30.

Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) dunks between Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) and Houston Rockets forward K.J. Martin, right, during the first half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Mon Feb 6, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (28-26) had a tough task on their hands Monday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder (25-28). The two teams met in OKC just eight days ago. The Thunder gave the Warriors all they could handle before succumbing to the Warriors 129-120 on Mon Jan 30th.

The Warriors knew it would be difficult as their leader, Stephen Curry, is sidelined for at least two weeks with a partial ligament tear in his left knee. Warrior head coach Steve Kerr had to shuffle his lineup, hoping to keep the young Thunder team from beating his team.

Kerr inserted Jonathan Kuminga into the lineup as a forward. Kerr moved Draymond Green to the center position. Jordan Poole replaced Curry in the point guard position. Everyone in the Chase Center thought it would be a very close contest. Everyone was wrong as the Warriors, behind Klay Thompson’s magnificent performance, blew out the Thunder 141-114.

The Thunder, coached by Mark Daignault, got off to an early lead. The Thunder’s young players made several buckets driving to the bucket. The Warriors had no defense against them early in the game. Thompson kept the Warriors close as he knocked down 18 points in the first period. OKC led 37-31 after the first 12 minutes of play.

Things changed for the better for Golden State in the second period. The Warriors found a way to stop the OKC attack. The Warriors defense held the Thunder to 16 points in the quarter. The Warriors offense got going and took the lead 48-46 midway through the period.

The Warriors outscored the Thunder 29-16 to finish the first half with a modest seven-point advantage, 60-53. Thompson finished the first half with 27 points. Thompson made seven threes in nine tries. Andrew Wiggins was second on the team with seven.

The Warriors made 11 threes in 25 attempts. The Warriors held the Thunder’s leading scorer, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averages 31 points a game, to 12 points in the half. Tre Mann and Aaron Wiggins, no relation to the Warriors Wiggins, each had ten.

The Warriors put the game away in the third quarter. The Warriors did everything right as they outscored the Thunder 44-26. Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Donte DiVincenzo, and Thompson rained down threes on the Thunder. The Warriors finished the third quarter with a 25-point lead, 104-79.

The Warriors kept their foot on the gas pedal in the fourth quarter. The Warriors had blown eight double-digit leads this year. They almost blew the lead Saturday night to the Dallas Mavericks. The Warriors were determined to keep the Thunder from getting any momentum to get back into the game.

Thompson made three more threes to finish the night with 12. Thompson’s record for most threes in a game was 14. Poole played well the entire night. Poole finished the night with 21 points and a career-high 12 assists. The Warriors won the game.

Game Notes and Stats- with the win, the Warriors are now 28-26. The Thunder’s record dropped to 25-28.

Thompson led the Warriors with 42 points. He made 12 threes in 16 tries. It was the eighth time in Thompson’s career with ten or more threes in a game. Curry holds the record as he accomplished the feat 22 times. Andrew Wiggins finished with 18. Wiggins played defense superbly as he held Gilgeous-Alexander to 20 points, 11 points below his season’s average. Donte DiVincenzo finished with 14, and JaMychal Green had 12.

The Warrior made 26 threes in 50 tries. The NBA record for most threes in a game is 29. The Warriors moved the ball well, as they found the open man all night. The Warriors recorded 43 assists on 56 baskets.

The Thunder’s leading scorers were Gilgeous-Alexander with 20, Aaron Wiggins with 19, Josh Giddey with 15, and Tre Mann with 18.

After the game, Steve Kerr said he had “the most fun watching the team play this year.” He thought Poole was magnificent. It was high praise for Poole as he has struggled in several games this season. “Jordan’s control, taking care of the ball, was just brilliant all night.” Kerr also remarked that the team’s performance was a “confidence booster.”

The Warriors travel to Portland to face the TrailBlazers Wednesday night. The game will start at six