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Thunder Lose to Warriors Behind Klay Thompson's 42 points

The Oklahoma City Thunder took an 141-114 loss to the Warriors.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder took on the Golden State Warriors, like they had a week ago, but this time in the Bay Area. The Thunder took a 141-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors. 

Last matchup, the Thunder had a slow first quarter, but they didn't repeat that this time. Behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Aaron Wiggins both scoring 10 points in the first frame, the Thunder led 37-31 in the first quarter. 

For once, the Thunder jumped on a team, forcing them into a timeout early. The Warriors called a timeout two minutes and three seconds into the game as the Thunder had an early 9-2 lead.

The same tune wasn't sung in the second quarter. The Thunder scored just 16 second quarter points, which led to them trailing 60-53 at the break. Klay Thompson, who scored 14 first quarter points, finished the half with 27 points and was willing the Warriors throughout the half.

After having a better second quarter than first, the Warriors continued to improve throughout the game. In the third quarter, the Warriors played like they're the defending champions, barely missing their 3-pointers. They scored 44 points in the third quarter.

Through three quarters, the Warriors' strategy of shoot and make 3-pointers with extreme volume was working, as they were 20-of-40 on 3-pointers through the third frame.

Thompson didn't have to carry the Warriors anymore either, as he made the first two threes of the quarter but none after that. 

The entire squad had stepped up, and this carried into the final frame, where Gilgeous-Alexander wouldn't see the court after his 6-of-16, 20-point performance through three quarters. 

Not that either team absolutely won the last quarter, but the Thunder were never able to string together enough stops to make a serious comeback.

Pinpointing the Thunder's best performer is a hard task, because no player truly played up to the standards that they've set for themselves throughout the season.

The Warriors, on the other hand, played another great game, as they did the last time these two teams met. Without their very best player in Stephen Curry, Thompson and company played like a team coming off an impressive championship. 

Thompson finished with 42 points on 15-of-22 shooting and 12-of-16 on 3-pointers en route to the Warriors 141-114 win. The loss pushed the Thunder down to 25-28 on the season. 

The top two Thunder performances may have been Aaron Wiggins, who scored 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting in his start, and Tre Mann, who scored 18 points on 8-of-17 shooting. 

Speaking of Wiggins, his two losses in his career as a started have both come to the Warriors. 

During their win, the Warriors made a season-high 26 3-pointers, showing how strong of a performance they strung together compared to the rest of their season. They did so on 50 attempts, too.

The Thunder will look onto tomorrow, where they take on LeBron James -- 36 points away from the all-time scoring record -- and the Lakers on TNT. The second night of the back to back will be a true test for the Thunder following yet another bad loss.


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