CITY OF OKLAHOMA (AP) — The NBA got precisely what it wanted from the first-ever In-Season Tournament in the form of playoff-caliber intensity early in the season from the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors to a 141-139 victory over the Thunder on Friday night. Curry scored 30 points, including the game-winning layup with 0.2 seconds remaining.
Curry’s last attempt was initially disqualified due to offensive goaltending against Draymond Green. The Warriors persisted despite the call being reversed. Green claimed that because he touched the rim rather than the ball, the ruling was reversed. That’s the explanation that Thunder coach Mark Daigneault also stated he was given.
Green stated that the NBA has produced some quality work.
He remarked, “You just witnessed two teams competing.” We discuss this during the season tournament, and it’s a postseason match. The game was enjoyable to play and had a good degree of intensity. Well done, NBA, for bringing some enthusiasm to November despite the fact that the month does contain some gloomy days. But these kind of games? You are able to value them.
The entire time, the audience was raucous, especially when Green was called for fouls.
He said, “You know, this crowd gets pretty rough on me, but we usually come out on top, so it’s all right.” “However, this is a fantastic crowd. To be honest, I enjoy coming here to play. Every time, the crowd delivers. I don’t believe I’ve ever attended a game here without a large crowd. Every single night, they provide it. It’s always enjoyable to come here and play, for that reason.
Golden State, now 5-1, was led by Dario Saric’s 20 points, 13 assists, and zero turnovers from Chris Paul.
The Warriors won in the last seconds for the second time in a row. Less than a second remained on Wednesday for Klay Thompson to secure a victory over Sacramento.
For the Thunder, Josh Giddey scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, Lu Dort scored 29, and Chet Holmgren scored 24 on 7 of 9 shots. Oklahoma City’s top scorer of the year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, missed games due to an injured left knee.
Golden State led 38-33 after making seven 3-pointers in the first quarter. As a substitute, Saric scored 11 points during that time.
The Warriors took a 50-44 lead when Curry hit Gary Payton II with a no-look pass from beyond the 3-point line. Golden State led 69-67 at the half after making six 3-pointers in the second quarter. After being reviewed, the decision to rule Thompson’s leaning 3-pointer at the buzzer, which would have given them a five-point lead, as foul was made on the floor, stood.
At the beginning of the third quarter, Dort scored 11 points in less than four minutes, giving the Thunder an 85-80 advantage. By the end of the third quarter, the score was knotted at 106 thanks to a comeback by the Warriors.
With 9:15 remaining, Isaiah Joe of Oklahoma City made a 3-pointer and was fouled. The Thunder led 118-115 after he made the free throw, and the score stayed close for the remainder of the game.
Oklahoma City narrowly lost out on a historic triumph.
Giddey stated, “We gave ourselves every chance to win that game, for the most part.” “I just needed to improve a little bit toward the end.”