NBA Playoffs on Sling TV: Golden State at Oklahoma City, Game 6
Steph Curry scored 31 points as the Golden State Warriors staved off elimination on Thursday, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-111, as OKC’s Dynamic Duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant combined for 71 points, but were off the mark for most of the night. The Warriors’ win has forced a Game 6 tonight in Oklahoma City.
Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant came out shooting, but laid a ton of bricks, hitting on just 4 of 17 for the opening quarter as the Warriors started to slowly pull away, going up 19-10 on a Draymond Green field goal with 3:44 to play. But Durant would score 6 points in the waning minutes, including the final bucket of the frame to close the gap to 25-21 Golden State.
A Russell Westbrook 3-pointer from 28 feet would pull the Thunder within a point at 40-39, midway through the second quarter, but Curry responded by scoring the next 7 points in the span of 58 seconds to bring the Warriors’ lead back up to 47-39. Westbrook would hit 2 of 2 from the floor, and 3 of 4 for 7 points over the remainder of the half, but OKC would get no closer, going into the locker room down 58-50.
Less than a minute into the second half, Kevin Durant would go up to shoot a 3, drawing a foul from Draymond Green, who was so disgusted with the call that he threw up his arms in protest, thereby drawing his fifth technical of the playoffs, and setting up Durant for a 4-point play, which he converted to make it 60-57 Golden State. Two more T’s during these playoffs, and Green faces a one-game suspension.
A Durant 16-footer midway through the quarter would pull the Thunder even at 65-65, Curry responded seconds later with a jumper of his own to retake the lead, and then Westbrook drilled a 3 to put the Thunder up for the first time in the game, 68-67. But a pair of Klay Thompson free throws just moment later would again give the Warriors the lead.
The Warriors finally made their move at the start of the fourth quarter, as they scored the first 8 points to go up 89-77, their biggest lead of the game to that point. A Durant 3-pointer with 4 and half minutes to play would make it 103-98 Golden State, but that would be as close as they would get, as Curry responded with a 4-point play of his own, draining a 3-pointer and drawing the foul from Andre Roberson, to make it 106-98. Curry, Green and Thompson would each sink a pair of free throws in the final 33 seconds to put the game away.
Watch the Golden State Warriors vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder at 9pm ET Saturday on TNT.
All stats courtesy ESPN and Basketball Reference