OKLAHOMA CITY – Stephen Curry scored 25 of his 42 points in the third quarter, and the Golden State Warriors ran away from the Oklahoma City Thunder 147-109 on Wednesday night.
Curry went 8 for 8 from the field and made all six of his 3-point attempts in the third quarter to post his high point total for a quarter this season. He was coming off a 53-point game against the Denver Nuggets on Monday that made him the franchise's career scoring leader. He followed it by making 11 of 16 3-pointers and 14 of 20 shots overall.
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“I’m still in awe of the shotmaking,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s just incredible. The level of confidence and skill is just stunning. It’s beautiful to watch. It’s a man at the peak of his powers with a lifetime of training and work — not just on his body, but on his mind.
"This is a guy who, he’s functioning at a level that very few human beings have ever functioned at in their particular field.”
It was Curry's second straight game with at least 10 3-pointers — just the second time he has done that in his career. He posted his eighth consecutive game with at least 30 points despite resting in the fourth quarter.
“I was actually joking with him,” Kerr said. “I told him he was going back in and he didn’t understand the joke. He just wanted to run back onto the floor. I mean, that’s how hot he was.”
Draymond Green had a triple-double with 12 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds for the Warriors. It was his fourth triple-double this season and the 28th of his career. He fueled a Golden State offense that matched a franchise record with 24 3-pointers.
Green said he knew right away it would be a big night for Curry.
“I can kind of tell when he comes out," Green said. "Just the look in his eyes, attacking from the beginning, what type of night it’s going to be for him. He’s had that a lot lately. Hopefully, we can continue to help him and turn that into wins.”
Darius Bazley had 22 points and eight rebounds, and Moses Brown added 18 points and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City. The Thunder have lost eight straight, all by double digits. They continue to play without leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been out since late March with plantar fasciitis in his right foot.
Golden State led 36-32 at the end of the first quarter before taking control. The Warriors led by as many as 27 in the second quarter and took a 75-54 advantage into the break. It was the most points the Warriors have scored in a half this season. Golden State made 13 of 25 3-pointers in the first half and shot 55% overall.
Andrew Wiggins' two-handed jam in traffic put the Warriors up 96-68 in the third and brought Golden State's bench players out of their seats.
Curry left for good with 32.5 seconds remaining in the third. The Warriors led 125-83 after three quarters. Their 50-point third quarter was the highest by any team in any quarter this season.
“I felt like we played good defense for like a quarter and a half," Thunder guard Svi Mykhailiuk said. "And then after that, I felt we became real lazy and stopped really communicating. We just started getting lost a little bit, and that was it.”
TAKING ADVANTAGE
Warriors guard Gary Payton II had four steals in the fourth quarter in just over nine minutes of action. Payton, who is on a 10-day contract, was the 2020-21 G League Defensive Player of the Year.
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Kerr, on the significance of Thursday’s game in Cleveland: “It’s really important. We’re in the midst of a playoff race and we’ve been searching for momentum all season long. I think we can all feel it right now. We feel that something is clicking and things are happening.”
TIP-INS
Warriors: Guard/forward Kelly Oubre Jr. missed his third straight game with a sprained left wrist. ... Green had six assists in the first quarter. ... Shot 61% from the field in the second quarter while holding Oklahoma City to 32% shooting. ... Curry also had eight assists and six rebounds.
Thunder: Guard Lu Dort sat out with left shoulder soreness the day after he scored a career-high 42 points at Utah. ... Rookie forward Aleksej Pokusevski sat out with right arm soreness. ... Forward Isaiah Roby fouled out. ... Shot just 7 of 27 on 3-pointers and made 14 of 25 free throws.
UP NEXT
Warriors: visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
Thunder: visit the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
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