OKLAHOMA CITY – Stephen Curry scored 25 of his game-high 42 points in the third quarter and the Golden State Warriors tied a franchise record with 24 made three-pointers in their 147-109 thrashing over the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight to kickoff a five-game road trip.
It’s the eighth straight game that Curry scored 30-plus points, his sixth 40-point game of the season. After holding a 36-32 lead after the first quarter, the Warriors outscored the Thunder 89-51 over the next two quarters to put the game away.
Golden State outscored Oklahoma City 39-22 in the second quarter shooting 14-of-23 from the field, including 13-of-25 on three-pointers to take a 75-54 lead at halftime. It was the most points in a half for the Warriors all season, shooting 55-percent overall.
“I thought our defense got a lot better in the second quarter,” Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said. “We finally started to get into the ballgame… they were on the second game of a back-to-back so we knew they were going to be tired.”
The Warriors made 27 field goals on 23 assists at intermission. Golden State would finish with 39 assists on 52 made shots. At one juncture, the Warriors had 30 assists on eight turnovers before finishing with 14 for the game. Golden State’s ball movement and attention to detail on defense was impressive to watch throughout the game.
“We understand that we can always get a good shot, but our best bet is to search for that great shot,” said Curry. “That comes with force of cuts and moving the open guy. Coach says that all the time.”
In the third quarter, the Warriors cracked the game wide open with a 50-29 run that saw the team hold a 44-point lead at one point behind the sizzling shooting from Curry. The 50 points scored by the Warriors in the third quarter were the most by any team this season for any quarter.
The two-time MVP went nuclear in the third quarter, shooting 8-of-8 from the floor and making all six of his three-point attempts. For the game, Curry finished 14-of-20 from the floor, including 11-of-16 from beyond the three-point line.
“I’m still in awe of his shot-making,” Kerr said. “It’s just incredible. The level of confidence and skill is just stunning. It’s beautiful to watch. It’s a man at the peak of his powers with a lifetime of training and work. Not just his body, but his mind.”
It was the second straight game that Curry knocked down at least 10 threes. He drilled 10 threes after scoring 53 points in Golden State’s 116-107 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night to complete a 3-1 homestand at Chase Center.
Draymond Green finished with his 28th career triple-double, recording 12 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds for the Warriors, who improved to 27-1 all-time when Green notches a triple-double. It was Green’s fourth triple-double this season.
Andrew Wiggins scored 16 points and Kent Bazemore added 15 points. Jordan Poole scored 14 of his 17 points in the first half.
Newly acquired guard Gary Payton II had 10 points, three rebounds and four of the Warriors 12 steals in nine minutes of action.
Golden State suffocated the Thunder defensively, holding Oklahoma City to 48-percent shooting from the field (44-of-92) and 7-of-27 on three-pointers (26-percent). The Warriors forced the Thunder into committing 21 turnovers, leading to 27 points for Golden State.
Darius Bazley finished with 22 points and eight rebounds for the Oklahoma City, who have lost eight straight games. Moses Brown had 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Svi Mykhailiuk added 14 points and four rebounds.
“I felt like we played good defense for like a quarter and a half,” said Mykhailiuk. “And after that, I felt we became real lazy and stopped really communicating. We just started getting lost a little bit, and that was it.”
The Warriors have a quick turnaround as they head to northeast Ohio to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
Photo by Warriors/Twitter
