Thunder Lead Dissolves Late as OKC Thunder Fall to Golden State

Oklahoma City dropped its third consecutive game on Tuesday night, falling 136-125 to the Golden State Warriors. For the Thunder, all-star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 32 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

OKC kicked off the contest with close-range scores from Lu Dort and Gilgeous-Alexander, jumping out to a 4-0 lead. The Warriors tied the game at five a few moments later, but a 3-pointer from rookie wing Jalen Williams with 7:27 left in the first quarter put Oklahoma City ahead 12-7.

The Thunder continued to build its lead, as 20-year-old big man Jaylin Williams hit a shot from beyond the arc to gave OKC a 17-9 advantage. With less than five minutes remaining in the opening frame, Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down the away team's third triple of the quarter to give Oklahoma City its largest lead of the night.

The Warriors, however, answered back with three deep shots of their own, quickly cutting the Thunder lead to four. After a timeout from OKC head coach Mark Daigneault, two more baskets from Golden State tied the game at 31.

Oklahoma City fought back, taking a 39-36 lead into the second quarter after Gilgeous-Alexander returned to the contest and knocked down his second 3-pointer of the half.

Second-year guard Aaron Wiggins put the Thunder on the board to start the second period with an acrobatic transition layup. OKC built its lead back to six less than two minutes into the quarter before a 3-pointer from Moses Moody cut the deficit to 44-41.

Later in the second, Ousmane Dieng was fouled while going to the basket, granting him an "and-one" opportunity. The Warriors challenged the call, but the ruling on the court was upheld, and a technical foul was assessed to Jordan Poole.

After the dust cleared, Oklahoma City was ahead 50-44 before Stephen Curry nailed a triple to bring Golden State within three. After two 3-pointers from Isaiah Joe, the Thunder's lead had swelled to nine.

Curry didn't allow the Warriors to fall out of contention, however, knocking down a few triples of his own to cut OKC's lead to three. After a layup from Dort a few possessions later, Oklahoma City led 67-59 with three minutes left in the first half.

The Thunder offense caught fire heading into halftime, scoring 12 points in the final three minutes of the second quarter to build a 79-69 lead heading into the break. OKC shot a remarkable 28-of-47 from the field and 8-of-14 from beyond the arc in the first half.

Donte DiVincenzo connected on two 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the third quarter, cutting Oklahoma City's lead to four. After a timeout from Daigneault, the Thunder scored four quick points to build its lead back to 86-78.

Once again, Curry pulled Golden State back into the game, knocking down a triple a with eight minutes left in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 86-84. OKC continued to keep Golden State at arm's length, rebuilding a 92-86 advantage.

Once again, the Warriors stormed back, bringing the score to 92-91 after a Draymond Green free throw and a dunk from Moody.

A few possessions later, a Curry 3-pointer was negated by an offensive foul on Green, leading to a Wiggins triple on the other end that put OKC ahead by six. Golden State again cut the Thunder lead to one, and the two squads continued to go back-and-forth for the remainder of the third period.

Heading into the final frame, Oklahoma City led 106-102 behind 26 points from Gilgeous-Alexander.

Two minutes into the fourth quarter, Poole tied the game at 108 with a 3-pointer. A minute and a half later, the fourth-year guard from Michigan gave the Warriors their first lead of the night with two free throws.

After Jalen Williams put OKC back on top with an "and-one" finish, Poole answered with another triple. Wiggins tied the game at 113 on the ensuing possession with a pair of free throws.

Tied at 115 with just over six minutes to play, Curry nailed a shot from beyond the arc followed by an uncontested layup from Green to give Golden State its largest lead of the contest. Daigneault was assessed a technical foul for arguing with officials after Jaylin Williams wasn't allowed to enter the court during a dead ball, giving Curry a technical free throw.

The six point Warriors lead proved to be too much for the Thunder to overcome, as Golden State pulled away in the final minutes to take down Oklahoma City 136-125.

OKC will play its penultimate regular season game on Thursday at 8 P.M. CT in Utah.

Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.