Thunder Could Even the Score Against Warriors on Thursday Night

These last meeting between these two teams was suspenseful, and they'll look to compete with that same edge on Thursday.

Last time around on Nov. 3 when Golden State and Oklahoma City met, the Warriors found themselves with a last-second, game-winning layup from Stephen Curry.

It was one of the first slated contests of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, and Golden State took the 141-139 victory on the road.

The game-winning layup itself was a controversial call. Josh Giddey had his hands around the rim, but most notably was Draymond Green hitting the rim entirely.

The layup was eventually ruled good despite Green's involvement, as the referees explained it did not affect that trajectory of the ball's path — not because of Giddey — and there was no offensive interference, handing Oklahoma City's first loss in the tournament.

While it was a very tough manner to fall to Golden State and a nightmare defensively for Oklahoma City, there were still plenty of positives — especially considering it nearly took the victory without its' superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The entire starting lineup scored in double digits, as Cason Wallace supplanted Gilgeous-Alexander in the starting lineup — he would finish with 13 points on 60% shooting. 

Lu Dort was the brightest spot that night, scoring 29 on 9-for-12 from the field. Giddey competed well down the stretch besides his six turnovers to add the team total of 19, but still added 18 points and four assists.

But this wasn't enough to overcome Curry's 30 points and eventual game winner, as the absence of Gilgeous-Alexander's star power was too costly to keep them above Golden State.

Thursday though, the situation's will be switched.

Curry has been ruled out for the contest due to a right knee issue, which he'd recently received an MRI for that showed no structural damage. 

This will be Curry's second missed contest in a row following the injury, and could potentially be the Warriors' fifth consecutive loss as they sit at 6-6. 

And this time, Gilgeous-Alexander will be on the court — and he's currently playing some of the best basketball of his career within this stretch of several games following his return from injury.

For five games in a row, Gilgeous-Alexander has posted 25-plus points on 55% or better from the field, marking it as the longest streak in Thunder franchise history. 

As for the Thunder's breakout rookie Chet Holmgren, he'll have his hands full again in his second meeting with the Warriors.

6-foot-10 forward Dario Saric is coming off a 21-point outing and 6-foot-9 forward Kevon Looney with 12 rebounds against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

One other thing happened in that game though, with Draymond Green putting Rudy Gobert in a literal chokehold following a scuffle between Jaden McDaniels and Klay Thompson.

This action pinned a five-game suspension on Green, so Holmgren will not have to worry about his gritty (and sometimes outlandish) play on the interior.

Either way, this game is seemingly set up for Oklahoma City.

Gilgeous-Alexander back, Curry and Green out the Thunder have a chance to even the score at one win apiece this season on Thursday night.

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