The Warriors will live to fight another day after defeating the Thunder 120-111 in Game 5 on Thursday night.
The Warriors will live to fight another day after defeating the Thunder 120-111 in Game 5 on Thursday. Golden State led for nearly the entire game, with Oklahoma City never generating a lead of greater than a single point. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 31 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists. Klay Thompson added 27 points, while Andrew Bogut posted his first double-double of the series with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Now trailing the series 3-2, the Warriors will travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder in Game 6 on Saturday.
GAME LEADERS
It wasn’t in the blowout fashion that has defined so many of these Conference Final games, but in the end, they all count the same. The Warriors came into Thursday’s game with their season on the line, and thanks to perhaps their best all-around effort of the entire series, it’s not over yet. Plagued by poor starts in the previous two contests in Oklahoma City, Golden State came out engaged from the tip and wreaked havoc on the defensive end, holding the Thunder to just 8-of-28 shooting in the first frame. While the Warriors performed much better from the field, their failures from the three-point line (1-of-8) allowed Oklahoma City to hang close, trailing 25-21 at the end of the first quarter.
The Warriors had been looking for some secondary scoring to take the burden off of their stars, and with the starters on the bench to begin the second frame, Marreese Speights provided exactly what Steve Kerr had been hoping for. He’d score nine points in the first 3:06 of the quarter, staking Golden State to a 36-32 advantage while the starters got their rest. Once they returned to the court, their brief time on the bench seemed to pay off, as they’d combine to make each of their next five shots as a group. But before Golden State could push their lead to double-digits, Russell Westbrook reeled them back in, scoring seven of Oklahoma City’s final nine points of the half before Andrew Bogut’s tip-in sent the Warriors into halftime with a 58-50 advantage.
With a chance to eliminate Golden State, it was predictable that the Thunder would look to come roaring out of the gates to open the second half, and they sure did, beginning the third quarter with a 9-2 run to pull within a single point of the Warriors. Oklahoma City would continue their push, and Westbrook’s three-pointer at the 6:06 mark gave the Thunder their first lead of the game at 68-67. The problem for Oklahoma City, however, was that Klay Thompson would regain the lead with two free throws on the ensuing possession, and Golden State would never relinquish it again. A strong response would aid in rebuilding the Warriors’ cushion, but they were unable to gain any considerable separation, thanks in large part to Kevin Durant. His five points in the final 80 seconds of the third frame kept the Thunder in it, trailing Golden State 81-77 heading into the final quarter.
Kerr’s decision to go to the bench to begin the fourth frame took a fair amount of guts, but it paid off big time, as the Warriors reserves were actually able to expand their lead to double-digits while the starters took advantage of some valuable rest. In fact, the 13-point lead with which they re-entered the game equaled Golden State’s largest lead of the entire night. With their season on the line, the Warriors needed their stars to carry them to the finish line, and Stephen Curry took it upon himself to ensure their season would not come to an end this night. On offense, he scored five-straight points for Golden State to keep pace with Durant, putting the Warriors up 106-98 with 4:09 left to play. Then, after Oklahoma City had shaved two points off that margin, Curry put his defensive stamp on the game. After sinking two free throws, Curry found himself matched up against Durant on the defensive end, and as the prolific scorer backed the two-time reigning MVP into the paint, Curry slipped to the side and swiped the ball from Durant before racing down the length of the court to lay the ball in with a finger roll and rebuild the Warriors’ lead to 111-101 with 1:02 left to play.
Oklahoma City would give brief pause to their celebration, as the Thunder cut Golden State’s lead down to six points in the final 40 seconds, but they would get no closer. The Warriors would round out the game by going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line to stave off elimination and finish off the eventual 120-111 victory.
With the win, Golden State now trails the series 3-2. The Warriors will now travel to Oklahoma City for Game 6 on Saturday, needing another victory to keep their season alive.