Thunder Dominate Stat Sheet, Outclass Injury-Riddled Warriors
Golden State’s task of standing up to the NBA’s best team got even more difficult about 24 hours before tipoff. When their injury report came out, the organization ruled out their big three of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler. All three have nursed multiple injuries throughout the season, with ankle, rest, and illness keeping them out tonight, respectively. Given their jam-packed schedule with five games in seven days, the Warriors have perhaps opted to give their stars an extra night off against this thunderous tractor. The difference in class became evident from the tipoff, especially in the third quarter, and even though the Warriors showed flashes, Oklahoma City was just too much.
As they have done all year long, the Thunder got off to a quick start. They scored 34 first-quarter points, one of which came following a controversial technical foul call against Pat Spencer. The undrafted third-year pro seemed provoked by a bench player from the away side, and as he turned around to respond to the Thunder bunch, he got T’d up. Though this call that could’ve gone either way went, Spencer ended up being penalized, further fueling an early Warrior frustration.
With a quick 15-4 response to open up the second quarter, Steve Kerr’s team showed fight. Rookie Will Richard capped this stretch off with a personal 5-0 run, which included an energetic steal and dunk and a deep three-pointer. Following that score from beyond the arc, Oklahoma City stepped their foot on the gas. Mark Daigneault’s group outscored Golden State 26-9 for the rest of the first half, and reopened their advantage to a comfortable 64-45 heading into the locker room.
The rest of the game was carried out by OKC in a typical, champion-esque manner. They didn’t let the home team get anywhere near them for the next 24 minutes, and in fact turned up their scoring one more gear. Their suffocating defense didn’t lead the Warriors to many turnovers, but it still forced their opponents to take low-quality shots. This game couldn’t have ended quicker for Golden State, who ended up shooting their poorest from the field for a single game this year at 36%, while also scoring the lowest tally yet with 94 total points.
Following a final score of 131-94, Oklahoma City proved yet again that they are, currently, in a league of their own. Once more, they were led by an outstanding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 30 points. Only seven of those came via free throws, putting the “free-throw merchant” claims by fans to rest, at least for tonight. His timeliness and efficiency stood out the most, as he did his damage in just 28 minutes of playing time, and by shooting 50% from the field. Chet Holmgren had another monstrous statline, equalling his rebounds and his points with 15 in each category. In all, seven players reached double digits, displaying for another game just how deep Daigneault’s squad has remained. Golden State also had a decent amount of double-digit scorers with six, but not any standouts to match the reigning MVP’s firepower. As coach Kerr mentioned in his post-game presser, his team never really felt connected or in offensive rhythm, something they’ll look to change tomorrow night as they take on the Utah Jazz.
