The Golden State Warriors have firmly established themselves as contenders in the West by picking up a strong 127-116 win over the OKC Thunder at the Paycom Center, Oklahoma.
Stephen Curry had an electrifying performance, putting up 36 points (13-23 FG, 7-13 3PT) alongside five rebounds and seven assists. Andrew Wiggins put up 18 points (6-14 FG), eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals while Jonathan Kuminga had 20 points (8-11 FG) off the bench. De'Anthony Melton had 19 points (5-11 FG) and 10 rebounds while Draymond Green (3-5 FG) had eight points and 11 assists.
Fans were glad to see the Warriors pull this win off in a game where they led by 30 points at one point.
"Breaking out the night night for regular season game is funny tho. Steph seen them SGA sneak diss," said a fan believing Shai's trash-talk after beating the Warriors last season led to Curry taking this matchup personally.
"Shai lost them this game singlehandedly unreal," said one OKC fan stunned to see their franchise superstar shrink under pressure tonight.
"This win was attainable; a possession game and Shai and J-Dub took turns playing grenade ball. The defense did what it had to for the most part down the stretch, and the Warriors were inviting all our wings to shoot open threes. Shai wasn't interested. No moral victories here," said one really upset OKC fan who dissected why the team lost.
"Steph’s added strength to compensate any loss of speed/quickness has done him so well over the years man," said one fan observing how Curry has managed to extend his prime.
"Thank you Wiggins you the one consistently keep playing hard whole game," said one fan giving props to Andrew Wiggins for his effort and engagement.
"Warriors have the best system and coaching in the league. Kerr just puts guys in a position to succeed. Getting back to their defensive focus has been a game-changer too," said Nate Jones, hailing Kerr as the best coach in the NBA right now.
"It's something about those 3rd quarters for The Warriors during the Steph Curry era," said Kenny Beecham after another trademark Warriors third-quarter performance.
The Thunder had their worst defensive showing of the season after Cher Holmgren suffered an injury in the first quarter and missed the entire game after grabbing four rebounds in five minutes of action.
This put the onus of victory on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, with the pair failing to show up. Shai scored 24 points (6-17 FG) while Williams had 20 points (9-15 FG) and four blocks. Lu Dort contributed with strong defense and 16 points (6-11 FG) while Cason Wallace also scored 16 points (6-10 FG).
This loss relegated the Thunder to the No. 3 seed in the West with the Warriors climbing up to No. 2. The Phoenix Suns currently hold the No. 1 spot, but would be tied on record with Golden State (8-2) if they lose to the Sacramento Kings tonight.
The Warriors will host the Dallas Mavericks in their first NBA Cup matchup on Tuesday next while the Thunder will face the visiting Los Angeles Clippers tomorrow on the second leg of a back-to-back.
