HIGHLIGHTS: OKC rout Warriors to grab edge

Sport360 staff 13:51 23/05/2016
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  • The Thunder grabbed a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals and captured momentum with the lopsided blowout, making Tuesday’s fourth game at Oklahoma City crucial for both clubs.

    “We have got to keep the same intensity, same attack mode,” Westbrook said. “They didn’t have the best record in the NBA for nothing. We’ve got to come back with the same mindset and play with the same intensity.”

    Golden State, which set an NBA record with 73 regular-season wins, has not lost two games in a row all season but will have to quickly bounce back from an embarrassment.

    Either the Thunder, who have won 10 best-of-seven series in a row when going up 2-1, or the Warriors will face the Eastern Conference winners, the Toronto Raptors or Cleveland Cavaliers, in next month’s NBA Finals.

    In addition to sparking the highest-scoring performance by any team in any NBA playoff game this year, Westbrook and Durant each added eight rebounds and blocked two shots while Westbrook also contributed 12 assists.

    Stephen Curry led Golden State with 24 points and Klay Thompson added 18, but Curry hit only 7-of-17 shots from the floor, Thompson shot 8-of-19 and Draymond Green was 1-of-9. The Warriors were also outrebounded 52-38.

    Durant scored 23 in the first half while Westbrook added 16 as the Thunder leaped ahead in the second quarter and piled on more punishment in the second half, stretching the lead to 117-80 after three quarters and went on to match a club playoff scoring record.

    The Thunder closed the second quarter on a 32-7 run to seize a 72-47 half-time edge, aided by the Warriors missing 21 of their last 23 first-half shots from the floor.

    Golden State lost their three prior playoff defeats in the past month by a total of 19 points, nine fewer than they lost by in game three.

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