Westbrook, George elevate Thunder past trouble, over Warriors.
OAKLAND, CALIF. — Hand in his face, obvious contact not called, Paul George missed his off-balance 3-pointer. He didn’t stop moving.
The Thunder had faced more adversity than a missed foul call this season, so George didn’t stand on the left wing and complain. When Patrick Patterson corralled the offensive rebound, George was cutting full speed to the rim.
The result was a statement dunk and a 125-105 statement win over defending champion Golden State.
“It was a big play — more so the offensive rebound,” George said. “Those are deflating plays right there.”
“It just takes the air, the life out of teams, and then the dunk was just an exclamation point on the whole game.”
The Warriors didn’t come into Tuesday’s game playing championship-level basketball, allowing opponents to shoot 45.5 percent from 3-point range and turning the ball over an average of 17.8 times in its last four games — both last in the NBA.
Neither did the Thunder. The Thunder broke a fourgame losing streak, however, with total command from Russell Westbrook and George.
George finished with a game-high 38 points, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range. Westbrook notched 34 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
The Thunder finished with its biggest win, only its second win in six games, since Andre Roberson suffered a season-ending ruptured left patellar tendon on Jan. 27.
The Thunder started strong without two of its key starters.
Steven Adams didn’t last two minutes into the second quarter before he was called for his third foul, not the first of an abundance of dubious calls. Klay Thompson appeared to trip over the 7-footer’s foot while Adams was setting a screen.
Carmelo Anthony fell down in mid-backpedal in the first quarter and was diagnosed with a right ankle sprain. He lasted just six minutes, didn’t score, and never returned from the locker room to the Thunder bench.
With Adams and Anthony combining for only 10 minutes, the Thunder still scored 70 points in the first half, 42 in the first quarter — OKC’s secondhighest scoring opening quarter of the season.
The Thunder led by 16 midway through the third quarter, and Westbrook was bobbing during a timeout to Oracle Arena’s soundtrack. Westbrook wasn’t in sync in the third quarter (1-of-7 FGs), but his virtuoso first half (12-of-19, one turnover) made up for it when Adams and Anthony were sidelined.
“Obviously, Russell was terrific in the first quarter,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “He made some tough shots and created some really good shots. I thought he was really able to get downhill and get to the rim, that kind of got him going. And I think once he came out, I thought Paul came in and really did a great job of carrying the load as well.”
By the time Westbrook drove to the basket in the third quarter and fell down with no contact yet still drew a foul call, Oracle Arena was out for blood. A “ref, you suck” chant soon followed. Then, a final rallying cry.
Seven-footer JaVale McGee checked in to a raucous applause. Often a spark of energy for the Warriors off the bench, McGee was immediately worked over by Adams for a baseline spin and reverse bucket. All McGee could do was helplessly foul.
Even Oracle’s moments of joy were short-lived.
The Thunder’s weren’t. Westbrook took particular delight in the ejection of Draymond Green in the fourth quarter for his second technical.
From the bench, Westbrook clapped and waved Green off the floor. During a timeout with five minutes to go, Westbrook clapped again as the in-house DJ did all he could to rile up halfempty arena.
But at the end of the Thunder’s second night of dominance over the Warriors this season, Westbrook wanted to turn the focus internally. Within the game, he was his usual amped self, but unlike previous trips to Oracle, he didn’t show up to the game in clothes poking at former teammate Kevin Durant. He deflected Warriors talk in postgame.
This was a Thunder victory.
“Like I said before, man, it’s not about them. It’s about our team,” Westbrook said. “I don’t want to make it a story about them. We beat them, it really doesn’t matter who we played tonight.
“Our job was to worry about our team, this locker