Thunder 138-136 Warriors (9 Dec, 2023) Game Recap

OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander thinks the Oklahoma City Thunder made a statement with the way they handled the Golden State Warriors this season.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points and the Thunder beat the Warriors 138-136 in overtime Friday night.

Jalen Williams scored 28 points and Chet Holmgren added 21 for the Thunder, who beat the Warriors for the third straight time in the last of four meetings between the teams this season.

Despite the Warriors' 10-12 record, Gilgeous-Alexander said the win felt important. He still sees the same Warriors who won NBA titles in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. They remain an important indicator for a young Thunder team that sits in second place in the Western Conference standings.

“We have a lot of competition on the team, guys that don't back down, guys that want to be great at the end of the day,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And we all know it's great, you have to test yourself against the big guys. Obviously, this is a dynasty that came here today, and there have been several games like this this year. When we play against the best, we rise to the challenge.

Stephen Curry scored 10 of his 34 points in overtime, Klay Thompson scored 22 points and Draymond Green added 12 points and 13 assists for the Warriors before fouling out and drawing cheers from the crowd.

The Thunder scored 35 points off Golden State's 29 turnovers — the most turnovers the Thunder has forced in a game since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City before the 2008-09 season.

It was another thriller between the teams: the winner averaged 134 points in the seasonal series.

The final seconds of regulation were frenetic.

Holmgren was fouled on a 3-point shot with 7.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The rookie made all three free throws to tie the score at 118.

“It’s who he is,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He is courageous. He does whatever it takes to win.

Curry could have won it in regulation, as he did in the first game against the Thunder this season on a layup at the buzzer. This time, with Oklahoma City defensive guard Lu Dort guarding him, Curry missed a 3-point shot as time expired to force overtime.

Golden State led 62-56 at halftime behind 13 points from Thompson and 12 from Andrew Wiggins.

The Thunder rallied in the third and eventually took an 81-79 lead thanks to a pair of free throws from Gilgeous-Alexander.

Gilgeous-Alexander took Curry's pocket, then made a layup that gave the Thunder an 89-82 lead late in the third. Brandin Podziemski's long jumper as time expired in the third cut Oklahoma City's lead to 89-84.

The Warriors held on thanks to some big shots from Curry – he scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. But ultimately, Golden State's mistakes were too much to overcome. The Thunder scored eight points off four Warriors turnovers in the extra period.

“We’re good enough to win a championship,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “This team. I believe that. But if we just want to turn the ball over and throw the ball to the other team and foul over and over again, then we're going to lose.

FOLLOWING

Warriors: Visit the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

Thunder: Host the Utah Jazz on Monday.

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