Thunder Bobble Early Lead, Fall to Warriors in Return Home

Despite falling down double digits, the Oklahoma City Thunder took the Golden State Warriors the full 48 minutes Monday evening.

With the Oklahoma City Thunder back from a three-game road stand, Mark Daigneault’s squad faltered to the Golden State Warriors 110-98.

For the Thunder, the loss sinks them to 17-36 on the season, good for fourth in reverse standings.

The Thunder put on the gas to open Monday’s contest, hounding the basket for five-consecutive paint shots and a 10-4 start. On the flip side, Golden State struggled behind the arc to start, opening 1-of-7 from deep. The Warriors’ three point struggles continued as the Thunder held a 23-20 through one quarter.

Oklahoma City trailed for all of 15 seconds in the frame.

Golden State relied on rookie Jonathan Kuminga to open the second frame as with six of the team’s first eight points – the Warriors clawed into the lead three minutes into the period. In the lead change, Golden State continued to push, breaking the lead to double digits off a 21-7 run.

By the halftime horn, the Warriors held their ground, posting a 56-46 lead and an 18-point swing.

The third quarter was drubbed with back-and-forth runs as Golden State caught their winds from the perimeter while late Thunder slashes helped keep play in range. Entering the fourth, Oklahoma City was down 85-72.

The Thunder continued to berate the Warriors for the entirety of the fourth frame, forcing Warriors coach Steve Kerr to check in his starters. With the ones, Oklahoma City cut the game to five inside three minutes off a 11-2 run. However, a pair of late three-balls from Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry put the game out of reach.

The Thunder played scrappy in the absence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, totaling 18 offensive rebounds while posting a 30.6% clip from deep. The issue – their flimsy handle cost them big time, paving the way for 16 turnovers and 26 points off turnovers for the Warriors.

In the Warriors’ camp, the team leaned off their three-point shooting, going 34.9% on the evening. However, their team-first play led to 30 assists.

Both of Golden State’s All-Star starters netted double figures as Stephen Curry dropped 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists while Andrew Wiggins placed 15 points. 

Klay Thompson, who played a pivotal role late, added 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting.

Kuminga wowed the Warriors-heavy Paycom Center crows as the No. 7 pick churned out an uber-efficient 16 points in 23 minutes while throwing down a pair of alley-oops.

Josh Giddey, who was selected one slot above Kuminga, finished the contest with 16 points (6-of-16 FG), 11 rebounds and 7 assists for the Thunder.

In his second-consecutive start, Darius Bazley played a key fixture in the Thunder keeping the game in range with 20 points and eight rebounds. Bazley’s play as a starter has been extremely sporadic – that trend was out of the mix Monday.

Lu Dort played the role of “Masked Assassin” Monday evening, as geared with a clear face mask, the 23-year-old showed few signs of battle scars. The third-year guard went on the attack accruing 21 attempted shots to drop in 26 points on the evening.

mask on 😈 pic.twitter.com/eJygk2TnrF

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 8, 2022

Tre Mann checked in another backcourt burst, running the score card for 11 points and four assists across 35 minutes. Mann played on his own agenda Monday, consistently taking defender’s one-on-one for stepback jumpers and drives alike. 

The 21-year-old has established himself as a top option in SGA’s absence, averaging 15.6 points in five games without the guard.

Next up, the Oklahoma City Thunder (17-36) will continue their home stand Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors (29-23.)

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