Curry’s 42, Green’s triple-double lead Warriors past Thunder

Molly AronsonJanuary 27, 2022

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Stephen Curry scored 25 of his 42 points in the third quarter, and the Golden State Warriors ran away from the Oklahoma City Thunder 147-109 on Wednesday night. Curry went 8 for eight from the field and made all six 3-point attempts in the third quarter to post his high-point total for a quarter this season. On Monday, he was coming off a 53-point game against the Denver Nuggets, making him the franchise’s career scoring leader. He followed it by making 11 of 16 3-pointers and 14 of 20 shots overall.

“I’m still in awe of the shotmaking,” Warriors coach Steve 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 on his body but also on his mind.

“This guy is functioning at a level that very few human beings have ever functioned at in their particular field.”

It was Curry‘s second straight game with at least ten 3-pointers – just the second time he has done that in his career. He posted his eighth consecutive game with at least 30 points despite resting in the fourth quarter.

“I was joking with him,” Kerr said. “I told him he was going back in, and he didn’t understand the joke. He just wanted to run back onto the floor. I mean, that’s how hot he was.”

Draymond Green had a triple-double with 12 points, 16 assists, and ten rebounds for the Warriors. It was his fourth triple-double this season and the 28th of his career. He fueled a Golden State offense that matched a franchise record with 24 3-pointers.

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Green said he knew immediately it would be a big night for Curry.

“I can tell when he comes out,” Green said. “Just the look in his eyes, attacking from the beginning, what type of night it will be for him. He’s had that a lot lately. Hopefully, we can continue to help him and turn that into wins. Darius Bazley had 22 and eight rebounds, and Moses Brown added 18 points and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City. The Thunder have lost eight straight, all by double digits. They continue to play without leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been out since late March with plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

Golden State led 36-32 at the end of the first quarter before taking control. The Warriors led by as many as 27 in the second quarter and took a 75-54 advantage into the break. It was the most points the Warriors have scored in half this season. Golden State made 13 of 25 3-pointers in the first half and shot 55% overall. Andrew Wiggins’ two-handed jam in traffic put the Warriors up 96-68 in the third and brought Golden State’s bench players out of their seats.

The Warriors led 125-83 after three quarters. Their 50-point third quarter was the highest by any team in any quarter this season. Curry left for good with 32.5 seconds remaining in the third. “I felt like we played good defense for a quarter and a half,” Thunder guard Svi Mykhailiuk said. “And then after that, I felt we became lazy and stopped communicating. We just started getting lost a little bit, which was it.”

TAKING ADVANTAGE

Warriors guard Gary Payton II had four steals in the fourth quarter in just over nine minutes of action. On a 10-day contract, Payton was the 2020-21 G League Defensive Player of the Year.

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Kerr, on the significance of Thursday’s game in Cleveland: “It’s important. We’re in a playoff race, and we’ve been searching for momentum all season long. I think we can all feel it right now. We feel that something is clicking, and things are happening.”

TIP-INS

Warriors: Guard/forward Kelly Oubre Jr. missed his third straight game with a sprained left wrist. … Green had six assists in the first quarter. … Shot 61% from the field in the second quarter while holding Oklahoma City to 32% shooting. … Curry also had eight assists and six rebounds.

Thunder: Guard Lu Dort sat out with left shoulder soreness the day after scoring a career-high 42 points at Utah. … Rookie forward Aleksej Pokusevski sat out with right arm soreness. … Forward Isaiah Roby fouled out. … Shot just 7 of 27 on 3-pointers and made 14 of 25 free throws.