Friday night, the Golden State Warriors were defeated 138-136 in overtime by the Oklahoma City Thunder, blowing yet another fantastic chance to win the early season.
With a 14-point advantage right after the break in the second quarter, Golden State had a great start to the game. But in the second and third quarters, the Warriors’ defensive shortcomings surfaced again, giving the Thunder a chance to rally.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the rising star guard, did a fantastic job defensively slowing down Steph Curry with Lu Dort. Conversely, only Andrew Wiggins, a defender, managed to contain SGA, who finished with 37 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and a block.
Jalen Williams, a former standout player at Santa Clara, finished as the Thunder’s second-most influential player with 28 points on 12-for-15 field goals.
On Friday night, the Warriors offense did not have any trouble shooting efficiently. Rather, it was a procession of mistakes. Over the course of the game, Golden State made 28 mistakes. Even though the Thunder’s young, experienced, and athletic lineup undoubtedly contributed, there were a lot of careless passes, bad choices, and unintentional moving screens.
By the end of the third quarter, the Thunder had a seven-point advantage. But Jonathan Kuminga spearheaded a second-half charge for the second time in a row. In just over three minutes of play, Kuminga scored seven points, sparking a 17–8 surge to begin the fourth quarter. His final stats were 12 rebounds and 24 points.
In the closing minutes, the lead alternated between the two teams multiple times, with the Thunder holding a 114-113 advantage. However, Curry was able to convert a and-one by finding an angle to the rim.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s midrange fadeaway brought the score even. The Warriors might have easily won two games to one, but they choose to wait. Curry went up against Dort on the right side of the field. Curry forced Dort to back off as he dribbled toward the rim to his left, then stepped back into a three.
Only the net.
Curry struggled at first, but in the fourth quarter and overtime, he found his game. 34 points in the game at the end, 10-for-20 from the field. It goes without saying that overtime was never appropriate.
All the Warriors had to do to maintain their three-point lead was to not foul anyone trying to make a three-pointer. Rather, Draymond Green attempted to steal the in-bound pass with excessive aggression, giving Chet Holmgren enough time to start climbing. Holmgren tied the score at 118 by making all three of his free shots.
After 7.7 seconds in regulation, the ball was in the possession of the Warriors. Step confronted Dort when the Dubs got the ball, but he was unable to create the same amount of space and missed a chance that would have won the game.
In overtime, the younger Thunder capitalized on their inexperience. Golden State got off to a bad start with Curry being the only remaining starter capable of producing any offensive production. After a while, Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski came off the bench to provide some energy, and Curry once more made some amazing baskets, but it was too little, too late.
