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
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