Slowing down the Warriors
Golden State, as a rule, scores lots of points: they have nine guys on the roster who average ten points or more per game, and most nights, they can come up with 110. Not tonight. After jumping out to a nine-point lead a couple times in the first half, they faced a tightened-up Oklahoma City defense. The turning point, though, was in the third quarter, when Corey Maggette drew a foul, expressed displeasure with the call and drew a technical, then expressed displeasure with that and was dispatched to the locker room. OKC dropped in four free throws, two for the foul and two for the T’s, and the Warriors were never the same after that; the Thunder posted a 104-88 win.
Despite Thunder rebound dominance — 57-37 — the Golden State scorers would get most of their numbers. Monta Ellis led all scorers, in fact, with 31, playing all 48 minutes of the game. Rookie guard Stephen Curry scored 22, his career high. However, the Warriors shot a below-par 43.4 percent and weren’t so hot from beyond the arc.
Then again, neither were the Thunder, who shot 42.2 percent. However, the Warriors rolled up 22 personal fouls, over and above Maggette’s outburst, which resulted in 29 points from the charity stripe for the Thunder. After a slow start, Kevin Durant made it up to 28; James Harden dropped in a personal-best 26; Jeff Green had a double-double in the first half and finished with 21 points and 13 boards. And Shaun Livingston got about 18 minutes; he missed his only shot, but he reeled in seven rebounds, served up three assists, and grabbed two steals.
And so ends the homestand, with a 3-2 mark. There’s a single road game Friday, at Memphis, and then LeBron and company arrive at the Ford on Sunday. The Grizzlies, who have been playing better of late, may be tough; the Cavs almost certainly will be.
Aside to Don Nelson: Pneumonia sucks. Hope you’re up and about soon.
