Five days after tying an National Basketball Association record with 12 3-pointers in an overtime win at Oklahoma City, Curry went 5 of 15 from long range in the rematch. But he got more than enough help from his bench to help the Warriors (55-5) move 50 games above.
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The Warriors matched the Chicago Bulls’ run of 44 straight home wins, set in 1995-96, with their win at Oracle Arena on Thursday.
The Spurs sport the best home record in the league (30-0) and have an eight-game win streak.
Though the Warriors would love to add the single-season win record to an already long list of accomplishments this year, the players will certainly trust Kerr’s judgment.
“Fifty games over.500”, coach Steve Kerr said, shaking his head. “You can’t even dream this stuff up, but it’s been that kind of season for us”.
Oklahoma City got and all-around game from Kevin Durant who was in triple-double with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
“But I think that the teams that we’re playing, obviously a lot of them being on the road, high-quality opponents, I think the consistency probably stands out a little bit more, whereas maybe I saw some of those inconsistencies even before the All-Star break”. “I’m frustrated because we lost, but I played as hard as I could tonight”. And in a game in which names like Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Russell Westbrook graced the big screen, you had to know there was going to be some jaw-dropping, brow-raising, must-see-again stops and shots.
Golden State’s offense went cold in the early stages of the second half, and the Thunder built an 80-71 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Golden State then opened the fourth quarter with 13 points on its first six possessions to pull into a 95-87 lead.
“Honestly, if we are a 70-win team and champions versus a 73-win team and depleted energy and banged up going into the playoffs, we’re trying to avoid that”. Durant and Westbrook played about as well as could be expected, though the latter’s shooting efficiency (22 points on 24 shots) continues to be somewhat worrisome.
But Golden State, which needed OT to top the Atlanta Hawks at home on Tuesday, could be without the reigning MVP for a second straight game when it hosts the Thunder Thursday. Their player development team has worked closely with Curry and has him ready for any type of situation on the court. He also won in November.
As a team, the Warriors tallied 30 or more dimes (33) for the 31st time this season.
Khris Middleton scored a career-high 36 and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 27 with 10 rebounds against the Thunder in December. “We just have to get it to a point where it is for 48 minutes”. “The teammates I was talking to on the bench told me to keep shooting, knock the cobwebs off from the injury and just keep firing away, and thankfully I made a couple down the stretch”.
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As Golden State is wont to do, the Warriors relied on sharpshooting, ball-sharing and some perfectly orchestrated pandemonium to slip past Oklahoma City.
