Klay Thompson scores 42 points as the Warriors defeat the Thunder 141-114.

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder by a score of 141-114 in their first game sans Steph Curry. Klay Thompson put on one of his most effective outings of the season while his Splash Brother was out. He shot 15 for 22 from the field for 42 points (12-for-16 from three).

Both teams got off to hot starts offensively, with the Thunder racking up 37 points in the first quarter. If not for an exceptional quarter from Thompson, who scored 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field, the Warriors would have fallen far behind. Instead, they trailed 37-31.

From that point forward, Golden State’s hot shooting continued while the Thunder fell into an offensive funk. The Warriors made more than half of their three-point attempts on the evening, finishing 26-for-50 (52.0%).

The Dubs led by seven at the half, and took control of the game in the third quarter. Thompson stayed hot and Jordan Poole had his own hot shooting stretch that proved too much for the Thunder to answer. Poole finished with 21 points and a career-high 12 assists. Andrew Wiggins, Donte DiVincenzo, and JaMychal Green also finished in double-figures.

Trailing by more than 20 points, the Thunder pulled their starters with roughly nine minutes left in regulation, but Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was hesitant to do the same given Golden State’s recent penchant for blowing leads. Leading 125-102 with 4:41 left in regulation, Kerr finally inserted James Wiseman and Moses Moody. Wiseman recorded 6 points (3-for-3 from the field) and 2 rebounds in his short outing.

Now 28-26 on the season, the Warriors will look to extend their winning streak on the road in Portland, where they will play the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Currently tied with the Timberwolves for the seventh seed in the Western Conference, they are only a half game behind the Suns and Mavericks.

Source: https://www.goldenstateofmind.com