As I watched the Golden State Warriors battle Oklahoma City tonight, I spent most of the first half screaming at the TV. Falling behind by as many as 17 points, I was begging the Dubs to tighten their defense against Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. My son and husband reminded me that the players can't hear me. Durant, playing out of his mind, scored a season high 30 points in just 18 minutes, before he left the game with a sprained right ankle at the end of the second quarter. Helped by Durant's exit, and Coach Steve Kerr's halftime reminder to focus on defense, the Warriors outshot the Thunder in the second half to earn the hard fought 114-109 victory before an exuberant sell-out crowd at Oracle Arena. The Warriors were once again without their big man, center Andrew Bogut who is out indefinitely suffering from more serious problems in the knee than tendinitis.
No Bogut, no problem, time for his teammates to step it up. Stephen Curry led the way with 34 points, but as they have done in almost every game, he had a full cast of supporting players. Klay Thompson had 19 points, Daymond Green added 16, Harrison Barnes and Shaun Livingston each contributed 12 and Marreese Speights recorded 10.
Curry happily shared the credit. "We have a lot of great talent out here," said Curry. "It's not just me. We are having fun. Best thing for us is when we have everyone in it. Everyone has a role in winning and we are really enjoying the game."
And it shows. After the game, Coach Kerr was visibly thrilled, smiling and congratulating his players on the court. The pivotal win begins a new streak after the heartbreaking loss in Memphis Tuesday which snapped the franchise-record 16 game win streak. The Warriors still own the best record in the NBA at 22-3 and are a joy to watch.
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