Rapid Recap: Warriors Easily Handle the Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder traveled West to take on the 4-1 Golden State Warriors. Coming off an historic comeback win against the Los Angeles Lakers, the young Thunder looked to keep momentum tonight.

Early on OKC struggled to get anything going, trailing by as many as 18 in the first half. They were able to go on a quick spark before the half that ended with a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander  buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

The Thunder wound up trailing 55-44 at half. Josh Giddey was as good as advertised, making tough plays on the defensive end. His vision is incredible for only being 19 years old, and he finished the first half with eight points, three rebounds and three assists.

The Warriors were paced by Thunder nemesis, Draymond Green, in the first half. He shot 6-8 and had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. He sees the floor very well, but it was his scoring in the first half that helped the Warriors take a lead into half, with other guys struggling.

Starting the second half, OKC would come out with a quick bucket to cut the deficit to nine and that was the closest they would get all night. Steph Curry, who was 1-5 in the first half, decided it was time to go off. He would hit three straight 3-pointers to stretch the lead to 20.

The game would continue to spiral out of control for the Thunder as the Warriors went on a hot shooting streak. The Warriors outscored the Thunder 27-14 in the third frame, expanding the lead to 24.

OKC didn’t lack confidence shooting the ball at all through three quarters, although it didn’t amount to any success. They were 5-29 from 3-point range and most were good looks.

Gilgeous-Alexander paced the Thunder with 15 points and five rebounds. Giddey filled a light line of 10 points, six assists, four rebounds and a block and steal. Both are two cornerstones for this OKC franchise that will see better days in the future.

One positive that came out of the game was a surprise spark by Gabriel Deck. He came in and went 3-3 for nine points. Deck looked calm when shooting and saw the floor well. The Warriors were up by 30, and he made it 21 by himself.

Ultimately, OKC would fall by a final score of 103-82. OKC will now have a short flight over to Los Angeles to take on the LA teams next Monday and Thursday. The team will return home again to take on the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, November 7th.

The Thunder fall to 1-5 on the season, and the Warriors move to 5-1. Two teams with completely different paths and goals this season. Warriors welcomed Jonathan Kuminga tonight, who got his first NBA basket with plenty more to come.

The Warriors hit 21 3-pointers tonight, compared to eight for OKC. OKC shot 21 free throws compared to the Warriors eight. Very unbalanced game from each team. Ultimately, the Warriors led from start to finish.

Thank you for tuning in tonight! I enjoyed being able to bring coverage live from the game. If you’re on Twitter make sure to follow @Jhickness91!