San Francisco, CA – The Thunder hit the road for a three game trip with the first two games in The Bay against the Warriors and looked to push their winning streak to five.
Had to take care of the Warriors on Thursday night first though. They were without Steph Curry due to a knee injury and Draymond Green due to a five game suspension after he put Wolves Rudy Gobert in a chokehold Tuesday night. Even without those two it was going to be a very tough game for the Thunder because the Warriors seem to always get up for the Thunder no matter what. Thunder have only beaten them once in the last 4 seasons.
SGA to Chet 🤝 pic.twitter.com/QqOOpNFpJW
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 17, 2023
The last time these two teams met there wasn’t any defense that was played but this one started a little differently for the Thunder. They came out a little sluggish to start but after an early timeout by head coach Mark Daigneault, they started playing very smart and disciplined basketball.
Piping hot cup of Joe! 😳@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/nkzO6MJFSd
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 17, 2023
Leading the Warriors 39-24 after one, it looked like it was going to be a very easy win for the Thunder who built their lead to 19 in the second quarter. Then the same thing that has been plaguing them all season started. Warriors started getting offensive rebounds to end the half half and the Thunder saw their 19 point lead dwindle down to 7 going into the half.
The Thunder responded well though. The Warriors kept hitting but the Thunder remained solid and were able to put the game awayy halfway through the fourth quarter.
It was a complete win for the Thunder who did a great job of playing smart basketball for most of the game and not giving into the Warrior runs. Their defense led the way for them as they picked up a 128-109 victory.
Here are the 3 reasons they won the game:
Kept turnovers low
In a game against a team as experienced as the Warriors it was key not to give them extra possessions by turning the ball over. With their pace and high powered offense they will turn those extra possessions into more points. That didn’t happen tonight.
The Thunder only had 13 turnovers and it’s a huge reason they won the game. They lost the momentum at the end of the second and beginning of the third but never gave the ball away too much during those spans. Playing disciplined basketball is going to be key for this team all season.
Bench (Isaiah Joe)
Simply put, the bench was phenomenal.
They had 51 points and they played exceptional defense. Everyone that came into the game contributed in some way.
However, it was Isaiah Joe that was a huge reason they won this game. He had 23 points shooting 7-7 from three which is a Thunder record for both consecutive makes and he’s the only player in franchise history to hit 7 threes in a game without a miss. He was exceptional. Not only offensively but he was great on the defensive end of the floor. He lifts the floor and ceiling of this team.
Moving the Ball
The Thunder have done a great job moving the ball so far this season and that continued tonight.
They had 31 assists on 44 makes. It wasn’t just about getting assists though. It was more so about them moving the ball to get good shots all night. Even on the misses, most of them weren’t bad shots.
Playing the game the right way and with discipline can lead to a lot of success as we saw tonight.
The Thunder were led by a few guys tonight. Starting with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who didn’t have his normal night but put up 24 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Isaiah Joe led the way off the bench with 23 points and 5 rebounds while Josh Giddey added 19 points and 6 rebounds. Jalen Williams was solid with 16 points and 5 assists and so was Chet Holmgren with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Cason Wallace also did a great job contributing 10 points and 4 rebonds.
The Thunder will look to make it 4 in a row on Saturday when they play the Warriors again.
