SAN FRANCISCO – For most of the first half Wednesday night at Chase Center, the distance between the first- and second-place teams in the NBA’s Western Conference was so vast one could not see the other with the naked eye.
The second-place Warriors, deeply compromised without superstar point guard Stephen Curry, spent 20 minutes testing their physical limits but failing to find answers to the problems posed by conference-leading Oklahoma City.
Not until the final four minutes of the half did the Warriors find their fury. They closed the half with a 12-5 run, and the momentum carried into the third quarter as they outscored the Thunder 20-12 in the first six minutes. They won the quarter by 11, reenergizing the sellout crowd (18,064) and restoring belief in themselves.
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Defense and some high-velocity play from the second unit to turn a game that wasn’t into one that was – until Golden State’s offensive shortcomings resurfaced late and were the culprit in a 105-101 loss that goes into the never-welcome “moral victory” file.
“We were awful in the first quarter,” coach Steve Kerr said. “But I loved everything I saw the last three quarters. The energy, the defense, the rotations. Guys were flying around with a lot of good individual contributions. That’s our team. That’s who we are.”
After trailing by as much as 19, the Warriors rode waves created by Slow-Mo Euros from Kyle Anderson, Pat Spencer’s spunk, Draymond Green’s blocks, Brandin Podziemski’s pluck, Jonathan Kuminga’s bursts and Buddy Hield’s triples.
It was Golden State’s defense that kept the Thunder from pulling away. With OKC shooting 51.1 percent in the first half but limited to 39.5 percent in the second, there were enough open doors, alleys and roads that the Warriors, with two or three buckets down the stretch, could have jogged to surprising victory.
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But effort and good intentions are no match for a scoring drought that lasts more than five minutes. The Warriors’ comeback hopes raged when an Anderson layup provided a 96-93 lead with 5:45 to go. The hope flamed out when they missed their next 14 shots.
“I didn’t think we made great decisions down the stretch, the last five minutes,” Kerr said. “It’s pick-and-roll time late in the game, and with Steph out it makes it a little trickier on our team.”
The Warriors missed 27 of 46 shots (41.3 percent) in the paint. They shot 7 of 28 in the fourth quarter, including 4 of 15 in the paint. For a team so reliant on its depth – which is, on paper, a tangible asset – the Warriors looked remarkably unimposing without Curry available to expand offensive possibilities.
Andrew Wiggins and Kuminga tried to fill the late-game scoring void but shot a combined 1 of 8 in the fourth quarter. Only Anderson, with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, was able to muster some effective offense.
The result was a succession of empty possessions, with Green pointing the finger at himself for the offense grinding to a halt. Which is valiant but not altogether accurate.
“Just got to settle down and make sure we get into something,” Green said. “Get into some sets. We were a bit scattered, and that’s on me.
“When the game gets to that point, somebody has to slow the game down and get us into a set. I’m the veteran out there. I’m the one with the most experience out there. So, I’ve got to get my head out of my ass, go get the ball and get us into a set. Something that would be beneficial for all of us."
“Everybody wanted it. JK was getting to the hole; he wanted it. [Wiggins] got into the paint a couple times; he wanted it. [Podziemski] did as well. But our spacing wasn't correct, so they were able to collapse on the paint. And we don't have the proper kick-outs because our spacing wasn't right because we weren't getting into anything. It was just guys making plays themselves.”
The Thunder (14-4) left town still in first place, while the Warriors (12-6) headed into the night with their third consecutive loss and tumbling into third place one game behind the second-place Houston Rockets.
Curry, sitting out with pain in both knees, watched from the bench. Kerr is optimistic about him returning Saturday to face the Suns in Phoenix. But on this night, the absence of the NBA’s reigning Clutch Player of the Year was too much for Golden State’s offense to overcome.