Oklahoma City, as reported by the Associated Press — The Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder gave the National Basketball Association exactly what it wanted out of the very first NBA In-Season Tournament: an energy level comparable to that of the playoffs at an earlier point in the season.
On Friday night, Stephen Curry led the Warriors to a victory over the Thunder by scoring 30 points, one of which was the game-winning layup that he converted with 0.2 seconds left on the clock. Curry’s basket was the one that won the game for the Warriors.
At first, the official scorer decided that Curry’s final shot did not count because Draymond Green had committed offensive goaltending. However, after further review, the scorer ultimately decided that the shot did count. The call was canceled, and the Warriors remained in their posture throughout the entire ordeal. Green asserted that the call should have been changed as a result of the fact that he had touched the rim rather than the ball at any point in time throughout the play. According to Mark Daigneault, who is the head coach of the Thunder, he was also informed that this is the explanation.
Green claimed that the NBA was in some way responsible for a favorable development.
He told them, “You just saw two teams competing,” and they nodded in agreement. “Appreciate you taking the time to watch.” We talk about the In-Season Tournament, and how it’s a game that counts toward the playoffs. It was a lot of fun to play, and the level of difficulty was spot on for what I was looking for. As a result, the National Basketball Association deserves praise for preserving such a high level of excitement throughout the month of November. due to the fact that there are specific days during the month of November that are exceptionally dark. However, are there games that are comparable to this? You are in a position to consider how much they are worth.”
The crowd was loud the entire time, but especially if Green was involved in any calls for fouls.
It was then that he made the following remark: “You know, this crowd has a tendency to go at me quite a bit, but we usually win, so it’s all right.” “You know, this crowd has a tendency to be quite hostile towards me,” Having said that, there is a tremendously large audience here. To tell you the truth, I look forward to spending time playing at this location. The audience is reliable in delivering positive results every time. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a game in this arena where the crowd was completely uninterested in what was happening on the field. They do so on a nightly basis and always bring it with them. As a result, going here to enjoy some time off and let loose is always a fantastic idea.
The efforts of Dario Saric, who scored 20 points, Chris Paul, who dished out 13 assists, and Klay Thompson, who did not commit any turnovers, have contributed to Golden State’s current record of 5-1.
The Warriors have now won two games in a row, with both of those victories coming in the nick of time. On Wednesday, the game against Sacramento was decided by a field goal made by Klay Thompson with less than a second remaining. This shot put the Warriors ahead of the Kings.
For the Thunder, Chet Holmgren scored 24 points while shooting 7-for-9 from the field, Lu Dort scored 29 points while making all six of his 3-point shots, and Josh Giddey scored 14 of his total 18 points in the fourth quarter. With 29 points, Lu Dort was the leading scorer for the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the leading scorer for Oklahoma City thus far this season, was unable to play because of an injury to his left knee and was therefore forced to skip the game.
Because of their seven 3-pointers, Golden State finished the first quarter with a lead of 38-33 over their opponents. During that time period, Saric, who was serving as a reserve player at the time, scored 11 points.
After receiving a no-look lob from beyond the 3-point line from Stephen Curry, Gary Payton II dunks the ball. Curry’s pass came from beyond the 3-point line. The Warriors now have a lead of 50-44 as a result of this. After hitting six 3-pointers in the second quarter, Golden State grabbed a 69-67 lead into the halftime break. The verdict that Thompson’s leaning 3-pointer at the buzzer was ineffective was upheld after it was reviewed by the official who was on the court at the time. Should Thompson’s shot have gone in, it would have put his side up by five points.
In the first few minutes of the third session, the Thunder took the lead thanks to 11 points scored by Dort in a little over four minutes’ time. This put the Thunder in the driver’s seat with an 85-80 advantage. The Warriors were successful in mounting a comeback, and going into the final session of play, the score was tied at 106.
After making a 3-point shot with 9 minutes and 15 seconds remaining, Oklahoma City’s Isaiah Joe was immediately fouled on the play. The rest of the game was decided by only a few points, but after his effort at the free throw was successful, the Thunder went on to take a 118-115 lead, but the game was ultimately won by only a few points.
Oklahoma City was a hair’s breadth away from claiming a victory of historic proportions for itself.
“We gave ourselves every chance to win that game,” Giddey stated at the conclusion of the match. The majority of the time, we gave ourselves every opportunity to come out on top.” “Coming down the home stretch, we just needed to be a little bit better.”
