Klay Thompson SNAPS from long range
The last two games the Thunder played in Oklahoma City against the Golden State Warriors ended in similar fashion: blowouts. With the Warriors having their back to the wall and needing a win on the road, the task was bigger than regular. Lose and go home. The best regular season record in NBA history tarnished. No back-to-back championship.
For much of the start of the game, the Thunder were doing what helped them go up 3-1 in the series. They played uptempo offense. They dominated on the boards. They forced turnovers.
Although they led for the first half, Golden State stayed creeping, only going down five points by halftime and keeping things close and within striking distance.
CAN STEVEN ADAMS KICK IT, DRAYMOND GREEN? YES HE CAN
Much of the third quarter was a back and forth grudge match, with Oklahoma City going on spurts and then the Warriors finding life deep down thanks to heroic play by Klay Thompson. Steph Curry was in a shooting slump and couldn’t connect from downtown, but the other half of the Splash Brothers carried the load for Dub Nation and kept them in the game.
The battles down in the paint and from downtown continued in the fourth quarter and things intensified for both sides, but Oklahoma City decided to implode at the worst time.
Curry finally found the stroke down the stretch, connecting on several three pointers in the clutch, giving the Warriors the lead with less than two minutes left in the game. By that time, the Thunder were committing turnovers and Golden State never looked back.
We are TIED! https://t.co/HEUe9B2JCe
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 29, 2016
Chef Curry finds the range from beyond the arc
The atmosphere at Chesapeake Energy Arena came to a complete silence.
Thompson finished the game with a monstrous 41 points going 11-18 from three-point range, as Curry dropped 31 points of his own and 10 rebounds on the night.
OKC’s Kevin Durant ended with 29 points, while Russell Westbrook had 28 points and 11 assists. Their role players weren’t as involved down the stretch, something that had to happen, because that’s how they managed to win previous contests.
The #InsidetheNBA crew breaks down what went wrong for the Thunder in the 4Q… https://t.co/AUkc9Wl3mP
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 29, 2016
How OKC Choked in the 4th quarter
The Warriors now return to Oracle Arena on Monday and force a Game 7 in a win and get into the NBA Finals for both teams, but the momentum is certainly on the Warriors side.
FINAL: GS 108 | OKC 101