LDN - Sports

Thompson, Curry carry Warriors past Thunder

[March 21, 2017] OKLAHOMA CITY -- Golden State's Klay Thompson loves playing in Oklahoma City.

Thunder fans remember all the way back to Game 6 of last season's Western Conference finals when he singlehandedly sank the home team with a barrage of 3-pointers.

Thompson had a deja vu type performance Monday night as the Warriors rolled to a 111-95 victory over the Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Thompson poured in 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting. That included knocking down seven of his 15 shots from 3-point range.

"I don't think it's anything particular," Thompson said. "I've been playing well the last few games. Got a lot of great looks today. It's as simple as knocking them down."

The Warriors swept the season series with the Thunder 4-0 by an average of more than 20 points per game.

Steph Curry also buried seven 3-pointers on his way to 23 points for the Warriors. JaVale McGee posted 10 points and four blocked shots as the Warriors raised their record to 56-14.

"To go on the road in a tough environment and play the way we played, it's good for us," Golden State's Draymond Green said.

Oklahoma City's Victor Oladipo scored a team-high 17 points, but Russell Westbrook had a subpar night. The MVP candidate was held to 15 points on 4-of-16 shooting to go with eight rebounds and seven assists. Enes Kanter came off the bench to score 11 points, and Taj Gibson added 10 as the Thunder dropped to 40-30 and had a five-game win streak halted.

"Just one of those nights, Westbrook said. "Shots didn't fall. They made shots as well. A few mishaps defensively. But we'll be all right."

Curry had his shot falling from the outset. With Westbrook guarding him, he dropped in 11 points in the first quarter.

Conversely, Westbrook started the night shooting 1 of 6 from the field. Even though he had four assists in the quarter, his mindset was to attack and get his offense going. That seemed to fall right into the Warriors' game plan.

While Golden State was far from at its best offensively, defensively it was able to take the Thunder out of their game and frustrate Oklahoma City.

Late in the second quarter, Westbrook and Curry got into a shoving match and the rest of the players on the floor got into the action as the teams had to be separated.

"Ain't nothing going through my mind but to protect my teammates," Westbrook said. "That's what was going through my mind."

Technical fouls were called on Westbrook, Curry, Draymond Green and Oklahoma City's Semaj Christon before the teams had a jump-ball situation.

The Warriors won the tap and Thompson snagged the loose ball. He zipped it up to a wide-open Curry, who drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer. As soon as it went through the net, he sprinted off the court with Golden State leading 59-39.

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Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

"I used to play quarterback," Thompson quipped. "Don't underestimate my arm. It was kind of a lucky pass. Going up 20, it was demoralizing to the other team."

Led by Westbrook and Oladipo, Oklahoma went on a 13-5 run to start the second half. It looked like the Thunder were back in the game.

"We knew it was coming," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "We're on their home floor. Russell did not have a great first half. We knew he would come out attacking. He attacked the rim a couple of times. We just weathered the storm."

It was McGee who turned the tide with his work on the offensive glass. While he didn't pull down the rebound, he was able to tip the loose balls out to Thompson, who made the Thunder pay with several shots from behind the arc.

Those plays broke Oklahoma City and the Thunder were unable to make a run the rest of the night. Westbrook stayed on the bench in the fourth.

"I am pleased with the way we played overall," Kerr said. "Defense was solid. I thought JaVale McGee came in and had a huge impact. Getting his hands on a lot of rebounds, deflections. He just got his hand on the ball and created extra deflections for us. Obviously, we had Steph and Klay going from 3-point land."

NOTES: Late Sunday night, ESPN.com posted a report using anonymous sources that Golden State was unhappy with the Oklahoma City organization in how they allowed fans to treat F Kevin Durant when the teams played Feb. 11. Both coach Steve Kerr and G Stephan Curry refuted the story Monday. "This league is a very interesting place all the way through," Curry said. "Certain stories that don't need to see the light of day, don't need to have any life breathed into them somehow are the most popular. That's kind of how it goes. To me, it's kind of comical what can be put in the spotlight during an 82-game year." ... With just 12 games left in the season, the Thunder are one of the few teams who have not used the designate DNP-Rest.

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