For the second time this season, Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Golden State Warriors. This time there was no blowout, but we again saw a confident performance of Bily Donovan’s crew and 114-108 victory.
However, once Terrance Ferguson hit a 22-foot jumper with 2:39 until the end of the second, to give his OKC a 23-point lead, the majority of people at Chesapeake Energy Arena believed that the hosts are going to humiliate the Dub Nation again. OKC was all over the place, running up and down, splashing buckets and playing good defense, while on the other side, the Warriors couldn’t put two good plays in a row.
But, they woke up in the third and slowly started to grind their way out, tying the game after a 24-4 surge in the finish of the third. The result coming in the final quarter was 84-84, and shortly after, the guests even had a two-point lead. Unfortunately for them and their fans, that was the best thing they could do in last night’s event.
OKC responded with a 12-2 burst, and quickly made a 14-point difference, easing up the pressure on them. GSW tried to come back once again, but they couldn’t get closer than to five points. It was their 8th loss of the season, and that is what made coach Steve Kerr very mad after the match. Kerr stated that there should be some dignity and pride in the team’s performances, and not just going out on the floor and picking up punches.
“We are a young team that is learning, but I’m not happy with where we are,” Warriors coach said. “We should not just accept our fate. We shouldn’t feel sorry for ourselves and say well we have all these injuries and you know we are playing two-way guys or whatever and going for the lottery and all this crap. We should win some games.”
Meanwhile, even though they took a triumph here, the home team veterans weren’t happy too. Danilo Gallinari and Chris Paul openly spoke about the fact that their crew has oscillations. It is something that can’t be allowed against the top teams in the league.
“I mean, we showed that we can turn it on, but you know that’s not going to work most nights in the league,” said Paul.
OKC’s point guard ended the night with 16 points and 9 dimes, 5 boards, and 3 steals. Gallinari meanwhile, had a team-high 21 buckets and 4 three-pointers. Dennis Schroder had 16 points off the bench and 6 assists and rebounds each. Steven Adams 13 and 8 boards, while Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ended the night with 12 points.
For the Warriors, D’Angelo Russell dropped 30 along with 7 assists, shooting 10 for 19 from the field. Alec Burks had 23, while Glen Robinson III had 18.
Golden State (2-8) heads back home to face Utah Jazz this Monday.
Thunder (4-5) has another game at home, against the Milwaukee Bucks led by the reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. It is the second-of-back to back nights, played this Sunday.
