Curry’s 40-piece in vain as Golden State Warriors suffer another road loss

The Golden State Warriors have suffered their second-straight loss, giving up 137 points in a nine-point defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on Tuesday.

After the offense came up short in Los Angeles on Sunday, it was the Warrior defense that was incapable of stopping a scorching hot Thunder who shot 53.2% from the floor and 45.9% from three-point range. Golden State superstar Stephen Curry did his best with ten threes and 40 points in his second game back from injury, but it was to no avail as the reigning champions’ road record worsened to 7-25 on the season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Golden State Warriors with a crucial 137-128 victory.

The slow-starting Warriors quickly found themselves down 11 as the Thunder began on a 13-2 run, but the fast-paced nature of the game meant Golden State quickly erupted into the contest. Their 24 points in less than five minutes gave them a 28-26 lead, but Oklahoma City concluded the period on a 14-2 run to finish with 40 in the quarter and a ten-point advantage.

That lead extended to 14 halfway through the second before Golden State produced a 19-2 run to turn the deficit into a three-point lead. The Thunder responded to close the half, holding a 68-64 lead as the teams went back to the locker room.

Oklahoma City threatened to breakaway through Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a massive free-throw differential in the third, but a 9-4 close to the quarter allowed Golden State to head to the fourth with a manageable six-point deficit.

Yet the hosts made a decisive move to start the fourth, even more frustrating for the Warriors given it was done without Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor. By the time he returned with 7:44 to play, his team had taken a 13-point stranglehold on the game. Curry’s three-point mastery kept Golden State in with an outside shot, but they were never able to turn the tap off on the other end.

Klay Thompson added five threes and 23 points to give the splash brothers a combined 63 on the night, while Jonathan Kuminga bounced back from a quiet game against the Lakers with 21 points on an efficient 8-for-11 shooting. The 20-year-old had some nice defensive moments against Gilgeous-Alexander, but the All-Star still led his team with 33 points and six assists. Josh Giddey finished with a massive 17-point, 11-rebound, 17-assist triple-double as the Thunder backcourt controlled their offense to perfection.

In contrast the Warriors committed 21 turnovers, though they would have expected their 128 points to be enough regardless. The defensive end of the floor continues to be their Achilles heal on the road, with Golden State seemingly incapable of defending neither the three-point line or the paint.

The Warriors now travel to Memphis for a matchup with the Grizzlies to close out a three-game roadtrip. Ja Morant is unlikely to be available, though there has been no confirmation since the team said he’d be out at least two games for his instagram live antics on the weekend.