Warriors beat Thunder who lost Chet Holmgren to hip injury
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry celebrates after a 3-pointer during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
OKLAHOMA CITY — Stephen Curry scored 36 points, and the Golden State Warriors held off a late rally to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 127-116 on Sunday night.
It was a double whammy for the Thunder as forward Chet Holmgren didn’t return after suffering a right hip injury in the first quarter. The injury put a damper on a matchup between two of the top teams in the Western Conference.
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Jonathan Kuminga scored 20 points, De’Anthony Melton had 19 points and 10 rebounds and Andrew Wiggins added 18 points for the Warriors.
READ: NBA: Thunder’s Chet Holmgren suffers hip injury vs Warriors
Steph on a Sunday:
🌞 36 PTS
🌞 7 AST
🌞 5 REB
🌞 7 3PM
🌞 W pic.twitter.com/SFdhi5avZm— NBA (@NBA) November 11, 2024
Golden State led by 30 late in the third quarter before the Thunder stormed back. A steal and dunk by Alex Caruso cut Golden State’s lead to six with 4:46 left before the Warriors regained control.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points and Jalen Williams added 20 for the Thunder, who suffered their first home loss of the season.
Takeaways
Warriors: This version of Curry is what Oklahoma City fans have come to expect when he visits. The 36-year-old made 7 of 13 3-pointers and shot 13 of 23 overall and showed that when he’s on, his team is tough to slow down.
Thunder: Oklahoma City led the league in defensive rating partly due to the 7-foot-1 Holmgren’s ability protect the rim and cover for his teammates’ mistakes. Without him, the guards couldn’t gamble as much, and the Thunder weren’t as good defensively around the rim.
READ: NBA: Cavaliers take 41-point lead, crush Warriors for 10-0 mark
Key moment
Oklahoma City cut its deficit to 116-108 before Curry hit a 3-pointer while falling to the ground with 3:23 remaining. The Warriors led by at least seven the rest of the way.
Key stat
Golden State shot 50.6% from the field. It was the first time this season a Thunder opponent shot better than 50%.
Up next
Golden State visits Dallas on Tuesday, and the Thunder host the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.
