[1] Golden State Warriors 118-91 [3] Oklahoma City Thunder [Series is tied 1-1]
Reigning two-time league MVP Stephen Curry scored a team-high 28 points, including 15 straight in the third quarter, helping the reigning NBA Champions the Golden State Warriors to win Game 2 and even up the series. The third quarter of Game 2 was Curry’s 35th 15+ point quarter this season (regular season and Playoffs), second best is James Harden with 24 such instances.
Just like Game 1, the third quarter was the turning point of the game on Wednesday as well.
OKC had a mere 19 points in the period, while Curry alone totaled 17 points. Although Golden State did play some stellar defense in the period, OKC’s offensive slump can also be contributed to the fact that Durant, Thunder’s leading scorer had just one shot attempt in the third.
Russell Westbrook had played out of his skin in the third quarter of Game 1 and turned the game in his team’s favor. On Wednesday, Curry more or less did the same, scoring 15 straight in a span of less than 2 minutes in the third, helping his team take an unassailable lead which the Warriors would then never give up.
With their disastrous Game 1 showing, the Warriors came out strong forcing Thunder Head Coach Billy Donovan to take a timeout just two minutes into the game. However, OKC weathered the storm and kept the game competitive through the sluggish first half.
Kevin Durant did score a game-high 29 points and grabbed 6 rebounds but what stands out in the box score are his 8 turnovers. With Durant giving the ball over way too much, it didn’t help that the rest of the team was having an off-shooting night.
Serge Ibaka had just 3 points on 1 of 6 shooting, Dion Waiters (off the bench) had just 7 points on 3 of 11 shooting and Russell Westbrook recorded a double-double of 16 points and 12 assists on 5 of 14 shooting. Prior to this game, the Thunder were 9-0 in the post-season when Durant scores 20+ points in the first half.
That streak was broken after Durant scored 21 in the first half of Game 2 but struggled to get going in the second half.
The Warriors were obviously led by Curry’s 28 but he had a lot of help from his teammates with six of them scoring in double figures. Draymond Green had a near triple-double with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocks. Festus Ezeli had 12 points and 5 rebounds in 13 minutes on 5 of 5 shooting. Marresse Speights had 13 points in 9 minutes on 5 of 6 shooting.
For the OKC to win games and eventually the series, they have to consistently be dominant on the boards. In Game 2 they got out-rebounded 45 to 36 by the Warriors, largely in part to their center Steven Adams facing multiple little injuries like a back strain, taking a knee to his groin and hurting his right wrist.
The win ensures the Warriors maintain their record this season of not losing back to back games. In regular season and Playoff combined, the Warriors are now 12-0 after a loss. Game 3 will be played at the Chesapeake Arena in Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
Here’s a ridiculous layup by Andre Iguodala, off the assists by Stephen Curry:
