Warriors Top Thunder on Curry’s Clutch Layup
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the basket, as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) defends during an NBA in-season tournament basketball game Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)Nate Billings/Associated Press
2023.11.03 – Stephen Curry scored 30 points, including the winning layup with 0.2 seconds left, to help the Golden State Warriors top the Oklahoma City Thunder 141-139 on the inaugural In-Season Tournament Friday night.
The Warriors and the Thunder gave the NBA exactly what it wanted out of the inaugural tourney opener — playoff-caliber intensity early in the season.
Initially, Curry’s final shot was ruled no good because of offensive goal-tending against Draymond Green. The call was overturned, and the Warriors held on. Green said the call was overturned because he touched the rim and not the ball. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault also said that was the explanation he was given.
Green said the NBA has created something good.
“You just saw two teams competing,” green said. “We talk about this In-Season Tournament, and —- it’s a playoff game. It was a fun game to play and intensity level is there. So job well done to the NBA, having this type of excitement in November. Because there be some dark days in November. But games like this? You can appreciate them.”
The crowd was loud throughout, especially when foul calls involved Green.
2023.11.03 – Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA Video highlights)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) prepares to shoot, scoring the winning basket in the final second, as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (3), forward Chet Holmgren (7) and guard Luguentz Dort, back right, defend during an NBA in-season tournament basketball game Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)Nate Billings/Associated Press
2023.11.03 – Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA Video highlights)
2023.11.03 – Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA Video highlights)
“You know, this crowd tends to go at me quite a bit, but we usually win, so it’s all right,” Green said. “But this is a great crowd. Honestly, I love coming to play here. Crowd brings it every time. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a game here and the crowd wasn’t in it. They bring it every single night. And so it’s always a fun place to come and play.”
Dario Saric scored 20 points and Chris Paul had 13 assists and no turnovers for Golden State, which improved to 5-1.
The Warriors claimed their second straight game with a last-second victory. On Wednesday, Klay Thompson scored with less than a second remaining to seal a win over Sacramento.
“It was great,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “(The Thunder) really took it to us the whole game. … And we did just enough defensively, because it wasn’t our best night at that end, and they made a million shots. But we did just enough down the stretch.”
Thunder’s Lu Dort scored 29 points and made all six of his 3-point attempts, Chet Holmgren scored 24 on 7-for-9 shooting and Josh Giddey scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter for the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City’s leading scorer this season, sat out with a sprained left knee.
Golden State hit seven 3s in the first quarter to take a 38-33 lead. Saric scored 11 points as a reserve in the period.
2023.11.03 – Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (NBC Sports Post Game)
Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, right, passes the ball away from Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort during the first half of an NBA in-season tournament basketball game Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)Nate Billings/Associated Press
2023.11.03 – Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (NBC Sports Post Game)
2023.11.03 – Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (NBC Sports Post Game)
Curry threw a no-look lob from beyond the 3-point line to Gary Payton II for a dunk that gave the Warriors a 50-44 lead. Golden State hit six 3-pointers in the second quarter to lead 69-67 at halftime. Thompson’s leaning 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have made it a five-point lead was called no good on the floor, and that ruling held up after review.
CURRY & KLAY CLUTCH
Curry’s ninth career go-ahead bucket with five seconds or less came just two nights after Thompson sunk a mid-range jumper with 0.2 seconds left to beat the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center. According to ESPN Stats and Info, this was the first time in 25 years where the Warriors have won consecutive games with a field goal in the final five seconds of each game.
Golden State is 4-1 in clutch situations this season. While that is a small sample size, this group appears to have a much better sense of what it takes to close games, and better personnel to get it done consistently. It starts with the calming presence of Paul, who had 13 assists and zero turnovers off the bench against the Thunder.
“I’m a big believer in piling up wins,” Paul said. “We’re still trying to figure out defenses and all this stuff with a short training camp and new bodies coming in and stuff like that. … So there’s certain things that we’re still putting in and sort of figuring it out, but we want to win games and figure that out at the same time.”
2023.11.03 – Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Locked On Post Game)
Golden State Warriors guard Draymond Green, back, defends against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chet Holmgren (7) during the first half of an NBA in-season tournament basketball game Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)Nate Billings/Associated Press
2023.11.03 – Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Locked On Post Game)
2023.11.03 – Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Locked On Post Game)
Dort scored 11 points in just over four minutes at the start of the third quarter to give the Thunder an 85-80 lead. The Warriors rallied, and the game was tied at 106 heading into the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma City’s Isaiah Joe hit a 3-pointer and was fouled with 9:15 to go. He made the free throw to give the Thunder a 118-115 lead, and the game remained close the rest of the way.
Oklahoma City just missed out on a signature victory.
“For the most part, we gave ourselves every chance to win that game,” Giddey said. “Just needed to be little bit better down the stretch.”
UP NEXT
Warriors. Host Minnesota on Nov. 14 in next In-Season Tournament game. At Cleveland on Sunday in a regular game.
Related – See : Curry leads Warriors past Kings with 41 point game
Related – See below: 2022 Warriors NBA Finals video highlights
Read more at: Golden State Warriors Media Services / More AP NBA
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
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