Warriors hang on in 128-120 victory over Thunder
The Warriors faded late, but their hot start was enough to come away with a win.
The Golden State Warriors avoided blowing another double-digit lead on the road, holding on against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 128-120 win.
The Warriors jumped out to an early lead, hitting the Thunder with a barrage of outside shooting. Golden State led 38-20 by the end of the first quarter and held onto a 15-point lead heading into the half.
It seemed like the Warriors were cruising to a 20+ point victory, seemingly always knocking down another three when the Thunder were cutting the lead to 15 early in the third quarter. Perhaps that would have been the case with a previous Warriors team, or a Thunder roster from last season. However, the Dubs slowed down offensively, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back from a rough start to lead Oklahoma City surging back.
The Thunder pulled within one possession at a couple of points with four minutes left in the fourth quarter, but Jordan Poole and Steph Curry knocked down back-to-back triples that put the game away for good.
Curry had another MVP-level performance, recording 38 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists on 12-for-20 shooting from the field. Klay Thompson added 28 points and 7 rebounds. Draymond Green also filled out the stat sheet with 7 points, 9 rebounds, 12 assists, and a pair of steals.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 31 points and 7 rebounds. Josh Giddey also scored 21 points with 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals.
The Warriors road trip continues on Wednesday when Golden State will take on the Timberwolves. The opening tip is scheduled for 5:00 PM Pacific.