Golden State Warriors defeat Oklahoma City Thunder 100-94
Kevin Durant is one of the premier scoring prodigies of the National Basketball Association (NBA), but so is Monta Ellis.
On Sunday, the two inspirational forwards slogged it out at the ORACLE Arena, aiming to marshal their teams to victory. On the night though, it was Monta Ellis who prevailed with 33 points and seven assists to outsmart Durant’s
spell of 29 points. Oklahoma’s 20 turnovers, which led to 20 Warriors’ points didn’t help either, as the Golden State Warriors scripted out a 100-94 win against the Thunder.
In a fast-paced match, the teams remained at loggerheads for the first seven minutes of the game, with neither willing to let the early momentum slip away. What ensued was an old fashioned shoot-out between Durant and Ellis
as the two dazzling forwards began to pour shots at a canter. Ellis had eight points in the final five minutes while Durant had seven, as the teams headed into the second quarter with the Warriors ahead by 23-20.
In the second quarter however, James Harden set the court ablaze early with eight straight points as the Thunder raced to a 28-25 advantage. The Warriors though, bounced back immediately by pushing the match into a deadlock.
The lead changed hands six times within a span of five minutes in the latter part of the quarter, before Ellis canned two straight shots in the dying seconds to give the Warriors a 47-43 advantage going into the break.
In the third quarter, the Thunder again came out of the blocks quickly, scoring off their first six possessions as they surged to a 55-53 lead. The Warriors on the other hand came prepared with a counter punch, as they churned
out a 9-2 spurt to restore their lead.
Although Oklahoma City again managed to restore parity in the following minutes, but a 10-2 spurt by the Warriors in the last four minutes of the frame gave them an eight-point lead, heading into the final quarter.
The Thunder however, again scorched the court to start the fourth as they quickly tied the scores. The Warriors though never allowed them to get in front and started to make the final push in the last three minutes. Ellis started
the run as he first made a three-pointer to propel the Warriors ahead. Then Dorrell Wright scored a fast break layup which gave the Warriors a 91-85 lead with two and a half minutes left.
However, the Thunder refused to back off and a three-pointer from Jeff Green with just over a minute to go, made it a one-point game at 93-92.
With the Thunder focusing solely to contain Ellis and Stephen Curry, they left a gap for the others to have a good look at their rim. Reggie Williams fired a three-pointer with 47.2 seconds remaining to break the game. After
Durant made two free throws, David Lee finally provided the finishing touches with a thunderous dunk.
David Lee added 23 points and a season-high 19 rebounds for the Warriors, who got 23 points and a season-high 13 assists from Stephen Curry. Russell Westbrook finished with 21 points for Oklahoma City.
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