The Golden State Warriors have been left humbled by the Oklahoma City Thunder in a blowout 126-102 loss to the reigning NBA champions at Paycom Center on Tuesday night.
Stephen Curry was back for the Warriors following a three-game absence due to illness, but it was a horror return for the 2x MVP who looked incredibly rusty with just 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the floor in left than 20 minutes.
Thunder obliterate Warriors on both ends of the floor
Curry had seven early points yet otherwise struggled to shake free from the best defense in the league, having been forced into a series of contested jump-shots while also being met at the rim by Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein on occassions.
It wasn't just the offensive end where Curry had his issues. The 37-year-old committed the first flagrant one foul of his entire career when he recklessly closed out on Isaiah Joe's 3-point attempt at the end of the first-quarter, while incredibly picking up his fifth personal foul just over two minutes into the second-half.
Curry's foul issues weren't really a problem for the Warriors given it was a blowout anyway, with limited playing time for their veterans perhaps the only positive as they prepare for the second night of a back-to-back against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
Golden State's garbage time unit did add some respectability to the final score, with OKC having headed to the fourth with a 35-point lead. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did what he wanted with 28 points, five rebounds and 12 assists in less than 29 minutes, while Chet Holmgren added 23 points and 11 rebounds in less than 25 minutes.
Jonathan Kuminga led the main Warriors in scoring with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while also adding three rebounds and four assists. The 23-year-old did commit five turnovers though, with Golden State racking up 20 giveaways for the game as they failed to deal with the on-ball pressure and length the Thunder were able to throw at them.
The Thunder did whatever they wanted offensively and took advantage of some miscommunication from the Warriors defensively, having shot 50.6% from the floor and 44.4% from 3-point range despite being limited to 19 points in the fourth.
Curry and the Warriors will have to be far better on Wednesday to claim victory over the 8-2 Spurs, having now lost six-straight games on the road following their opening night win over the Los Angeles Lakers.