|
The Warriors sprinted out to an 8-0 lead in the first 1:58 of the game as Ellis set the tone with his shoot-first-and-shoot-often mode. The Warriors dynamic shooting guard started the game 8 for 10 from the floor and often finished in acrobatic fashion.
The Thunder put together patches of strong play but never could pull away.
Oklahoma City clamped down on defense -- if only for a moment -- to overpower Golden State, which shot 66.7 percent in the opening quarter. Durant stole an off-balance pass from Ellis and handed off to James Harden for a layup to highlight an 11-3 run that put the Thunder ahead 53-43 late in the second.
With the outcome slipping from reach and the usually amped-up crowd falling silent, Ellis put on a spectacular display of ball-handling and hard-driving layups, including spinning past Ibaka and flicking in a windmill-style floater to start a three-point play. He followed with another jumper to give him 30 points in the opening half, slicing Oklahoma City's lead to 59-57.
The break did little to slow Golden State's undersized shooting guard.
Or anybody, really.
Ellis slipped through screens and past every defender the Thunder threw his way, igniting a fast-pace push to the second half. He started a three-point play with a scintillating layup over Westbrook and Wright also hit a 3-pointer to highlight a run that put the Warriors in front 80-68 in the third quarter.
Oklahoma City answered with a swift and stunning rally.
Harden intercepted a pass from Lee in the back court, stepped up and swished a shot from the beyond the arc for the last of three straight Thunder 3-pointers. Durant also had a three-point play to even the score at 91 before Curry hit a jumper to put the Warriors ahead entering the fourth.
NOTES: Warriors backup PG Nate Robinson sat out against his former team with a strained left groin. Robinson was sent from Boston to Oklahoma City as part of the deal that brought center Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder at the trade deadline last year. ... Oklahoma City swingman Thabo Sefalosha, injured in the Thunder's last game at Golden State, sat out his sixth straight game with a sore right foot.
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries
Community |
Perspectives
|
Law & Courts |
Leisure Time
|
Spiritual Life |
Health & Fitness |
Teen Scene
Calendar
|
Letters to the Editor