Chet Holmgren, SGA Lead OKC Thunder Past Warriors in Overtime
Big performances from Oklahoma City Thunder stars led them to a comeback win.
The Thunder beat the Golden State Warriors, 130-123, in overtime after trailing by as much as 18. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren combined for 76 to extend the Thunder’s winning streak to four.
In overtime, Gilgeous-Alexander scored eight consecutive points for the Thunder to take control of the game late. He also blocked a 3-point attempt from Stephen Curry, leading to a transition basket to take a 128-123 lead.
Andrew Wiggins hit what looked like a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left in regulation. However, Chet Holmgren nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
Holmgren scored a career-high 36 points to go with 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, Wiggins finished as the Warriors’ leading scorer with 31 points.
Jalen Williams helped the Thunder come all the way back, scoring 10 of his 22 points in the fourth, and his jumper tied the game at 96 with 7:35 left. From there, the teams traded scores before Holmgren’s dunk put the Thunder ahead for the first time since the second quarter a couple of plays later.
Stephen Curry’s return gave this game a different look than Thursday’s matchup. Curry went for 25 points and caused the Thunder problems defensively.
Despite this being the third matchup between Oklahoma City and Golden State, it was the first with Curry and Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander outdueled the Warriors’ star with 40 points on 18-of-29 shooting and a couple of steals.
With Lu Dort’s attention focused on Curry, Klay Thompson bounced back with 16 points and three 3-pointers. With the Warriors’ star duo playing well, the team shot 18-of-46 from beyond the arc.
The Warriors’ lead reached as much as 18 in the third quarter, but the Thunder responded with an 8-0 run to kickstart their rally. The Thunder entered the fourth down by only two after Isaiah Joe’s floater to end the third, outscoring the Warriors 24-8 in that stretch.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 in the third quarter to help get Oklahoma City back in the game.
The first half was back-and-forth, but an 18-6 run for the Warriors to end the second quarter helped them to a 10-point halftime lead. Chris Paul assisted on three 3-pointers to cap off the run on his way to 11 for the game.
Golden State’s focus on limiting outside shots for Oklahoma City was also a factor in their halftime lead. After shooting 19-of-32 from 3-point range on Thursday, Oklahoma City took only 10 shots from beyond the arc in the first half.
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