Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Golden State Warriors with a score of 109:128 in the first of two consecutive matches.
Before the game, it was clear that Oklahoma was a huge favorite, at least in these conditions. Namely, everyone is aware of what happened in the previous Warriors’ NBA game, where Draymond Green and Klay Thompson were both absent. Head coach Steve Kerr decided to rest Stephen Curry for this match, leaving the team without its top three stars.
This was evident right from the first quarter. A lackluster offense without key players couldn’t do much, and in the other direction, they couldn’t defend much either. The score after 12 minutes of play was 39:24, making it clear which way the game was going.
The most the hosts managed was to narrow the gap to 84:83 during the third quarter, but that was the end of their hopes. Oklahoma played a fantastic fourth quarter and finished the game with a significant 19-point lead.
The top scorer for the winning team was Shai Gilgeous Alexander, who scored 24 points in 29 minutes on the court. He was followed by Isaiah Joe with 23 points. On the other side, Jonathan Kuminga had a noteworthy performance, contributing 21 points.
It’s worth mentioning that the former EuroLeague MVP, Vasilije Micic, finally got some significant playing time. The former Efes player played for 21 minutes, scoring five points and distributing seven assists along with two rebounds.