The Golden State Warriors fell 124-112 to the Oklahoma Thunder at Chase Center on Tuesday, but not before they gave the defending champions an almighty scare. The Stephen Curry-less Warriors seemed dead and buried coming out of halftime as they trailed 63-44 and were also without Jimmy Butler, who had suffered a knee injury in the first half.
An embarrassing blowout appeared to be on the card, but the Warriors’ role players then stepped up. A stunning 44-point third quarter brought the hosts right back into the game, with the Thunder’s lead slashed down to 91-88 entering the fourth.
The Warriors would even go on to take a 103-99 lead in the fourth, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ensured the Thunder wouldn’t suffer their second loss of the season here. Gilgeous-Alexander scored seven big points down the stretch and finished with 38 points on the night. The defending champions are now a ridiculous 21-1 on the season.
The Warriors, meanwhile, have dropped to 11-11, but a fair few players do deserve a pat on the back. Pat Spencer and Brandin Podziemski led the way for the hosts with 17 points each, while Seth Curry dropped 14 on his debut. The Warriors had six players score in double digits, and they’ll need a repeat of this moving forward, with the big guns being out.
Let’s have a look at how each Warrior fared on the night.
Pat Spencer: A
Game Stats: 17 PTS, 3 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 8-14 FG, 1-1 3PT, 0-0 FT, 21 MIN
Spencer was the most impressive Warrior on the night, and there was a stretch where he looked like the best player on the court. He scored nine points in just under three minutes in the middle of the third quarter to drag his team back into the game.
Spencer then made some big shots in the fourth quarter as well, but head coach Steve Kerr then took him out with just under four minutes remaining with the Warriors down 111-107. By the time he came back, the Thunder were up eight, and the game was all but over. This decision to take Spencer out might be one that Kerr regrets looking back.
Seth Curry: A
Game Stats: 14 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 6-7 FG, 2-3 3PT, 0-0 FT, 18 MIN
Stephen Curry wasn’t playing against the Thunder, but it sure did look like he was at one point. His younger brother Seth was on fire and was making light work of this vaunted Thunder defense.
Seth scored or assisted seven straight points to start the fourth quarter for the Warriors, but Kerr then surprisingly took him out. He had the hot hand, and you wonder how much more damage he could have caused. Seth came back into the game later in the fourth but didn’t attempt another shot.
Draymond Green: B
Game Stats: 13 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 5-11 FG, 3-8 3PT, 0-0 FT, 29 MIN
You wouldn’t have thought Draymond Green would be getting a good grade here through three quarters. He was rather ineffective on offense and was sitting on the bench with five fouls when the Warriors made that run.
Green finally made his way back in the game with just under nine minutes remaining in the fourth and played well. He most notably hit the three-pointer that gave the Warriors a four-point lead, and it looked like they might win at that stage. Green ended up with six points in the period and made a couple of good defensive plays as well. It wasn’t enough, though.
Gary Payton II: B
Game Stats: 13 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 5-9 FG, 2-2 3PT, 1-1 FT, 27 MIN
Gary Payton II hadn’t scored in double figures in any of his first 19 games of this season, and he has now done it back-to-back. He had 19 points against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday and got to 13 here.
Payton should have had a lot more, though, as he missed some easy shots, especially in the fourth. Still, he was active on the glass and fared well as a playmaker. This is about as much as you can expect out of him in a game like this.
Brandin Podziemski: B-
Game Stats: 17 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 6-11 FG, 3-5 3PT, 2-3 FT, 28 MIN
Podziemski was a tough one to grade, as he played well for three quarters, but was woeful in the fourth. He had 17 points through three quarters, hitting a ridiculous three-pointer at the buzzer to bring the Warriors within three points.
Podziemski had momentum by his side entering the fourth, but nothing went right for him in the period. He went 0-4 in the fourth and had three turnovers. While the Thunder defense deserves credit, he certainly could have done much better.
To make matters worse, Kerr had benched Spencer for Podziemski, and he didn’t repay his head coach’s faith in him.
Quinten Post: C
Game Stats: 3 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 1-1 FG, 1-1 3PT, 0-0 FT, 18 MIN
Quinten Post had a very quiet night on offense in this one. Post made a three-pointer in the first quarter and then did not even attempt a shot the rest of the way.
Green’s being in foul trouble had presented Post with an opportunity to impress, but he failed to take advantage. He did have good moments defensively, but sat out for much of that fourth quarter after picking up a bit of unnecessary foul early in the period.
Will Richard: C
Game Stats: 5 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 2-5 FG, 1-3 3PT, 0-0 FT, 25 MIN
Will Richard was another who had a quiet night offensively. Richard went scoreless in the second half, but this wasn’t a bad showing necessarily. It’s just hard for a rookie to make much of an impact against this dominant Thunder team, especially when the team is undermanned.
Jimmy Butler: C
Game Stats: 6 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 2-7 FG, 1-2 3PT, 1-1 FT, 15 MIN
Butler did not have the greatest of starts to this game before he exited with that injury. He went scoreless in the first quarter and took just one shot.
To Butler’s credit, he was a lot more aggressive in the second quarter, taking seven shots in the opening three minutes. The Warriors were going to need him to stay in attack mode, but he then suffered that knee injury. Butler did briefly return after being taken out of the game, but couldn’t carry on.
Moses Moody: C
Game Stats: 3 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 1-5 FG, 1-5 3PT, 0-0 FT, 15 MIN
Moses Moody surprisingly didn’t get much game time against the Thunder here, but he was having a bit of an anonymous game. You didn’t see much out of him on either end of the floor. Kerr didn’t trust Moody to make an impact in the fourth quarter, as he only came in for the final minute when the game was out of reach.
Jonathan Kuminga: C
Game Stats: 8 PTS, 7 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 3-10 FG, 1-3 3PT, 1-2 FT, 16 MIN
Jonathan Kuminga had some good moments offensively against the Thunder and was effective on the glass, but he was quite inefficient here. There were multiple plays in the third quarter when he took some ill-advised shots when the Warriors were piling on the pressure on the visitors.
It was no surprise, then, that Kerr benched Kuminga for the entire fourth quarter. That might have been one of the few good decisions he made during that stretch.
Buddy Hield: C-
Game Stats: 13 PTS, 1 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 4-15 FG, 2-9 3PT, 3-3 FT, 28 MIN
Buddy Hield had a good start to this game with nine points in the first quarter, but was terrible the rest of the way. He was 0-6 from beyond the arc after the first quarter, and the Warriors are going to need him to start shooting better. Hield is now shooting 30.0% from three this season, and he might lose his spot in the rotation when everyone is healthy if he doesn’t improve.
