OAKLAND – After 14 lead changes and 15 ties through three quarters, the tension in the building felt like a bubble about to burst at any moment. As the Thunder and the Golden State Warriors started the fourth quarter, it finally erupted.
In a 121-106 loss to the Warriors on Thursday night, the Thunder was in yet another dogfight and battle of both wills and execution for three quarters, but Golden State made its run. Head Coach Billy Donovan and his staff know that every good team will make a charge on its home floor, and the Thunder battled back against the Warriors’ 11-2 burst to start the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough.
“They fought and they competed,” Donovan said. “I think coming off of the game last night, I was really pleased in terms of taking a step in the right direction, even though we came up on the short end.”
The Thunder led 83-82 to start the final frame, but after two Shaun Livingston free throws and a Marreese Speights three-pointer, Leandro Barbosa scored on a fast break layup, forcing the Thunder to call a timeout. Kevin Durant was freed up for a dunk out of the timeout, but the Warriors answered with an alley oop to Harrison Barnes, then a steal and an Andre Iguodala fast break dunk to take a 93-85 lead with 9:59 left.
Despite the big run, this one wasn’t quite over yet, as the Thunder pulled to 99-97 with 6:02 to play on two Andre Roberson free throws and a heady three-point play in transition by Russell Westbrook. That was the Thunder’s last score for nearly three minutes, however, as the Warriors rattled off the next 10 points by being opportunistic on defense and patient on the offensive end.
It was another tough defeat for the Thunder (42-20), who certainly could have played better in a number of areas but still managed to build a nine-point lead midway through the third quarter. The team’s attitude coming out of the locker room at halftime was focused and intentional, as Donovan’s group scored the first seven points out of the break, then went on a 10-2 run midway through the period to create an 80-71 edge with 4:53 to go in the period.
A major catalyst for the Thunder in the third period was Serge Ibaka, who scored seven of his 20 points during those opening seven minutes of the quarter. His block on a Klay Thompson dunk attempt drew a gasp from the crowd and his corner three-pointer in transition forced the Warriors to call a timeout.
“He was able to get some looks in the pocket and some short areas of the floor,” Donovan said of Ibaka. “It was good to see Serge get some touches. He made some good plays down there and had some good blocks around the basket. It has been a few games now that Serge has been playing at a high level.”
After that, however, the game began to turn in Golden State’s favor, as the Thunder offense seemed to get bogged down with turnovers (14 on the night) and tough shots (the Thunder went 4-for-20 from three) while its defense struggled to string together consecutive stops for long enough stretches. For the night, the Thunder shot 46.5 percent while the Warriors shot 54.0 percent and made 11-of-34 threes.
“No question, the start of that fourth quarter and the end of the third, it wasn’t great for us,” Donovan said. “We kind of dug ourselves into a little bit of a hole. They are a team that over time, they keep grinding away and grinding away so you have to give them credit.”
“Turnovers did pop up,” Donovan continued. “I think the thing we talk about is becoming more and more consistent. I felt like we were more consistent tonight than we were last night. We just have to get it to a point where it is for 48 minutes.”
Watch: Thunder Highlights
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By the Numbers
8-for-12 – Shooting numbers for Serge Ibaka as a part of his 20-point, six-rebound effort
25 – Fast break points for the Thunder on the night
32 – Points for Kevin Durant on 11-for-17 shooting to go with 10 rebounds and nine assists- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Last Word
“These guys are working and trying. They are absorbing the things we want to try and get them to do. They play hard and they came out ready to play.” – Head Coach Billy Donovan