Warriors at Thunder
The Golden State Warriors will be hard-pressed to extend their winning streak to three games when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in the second of a three-game road trip. The Warriors have lost four straight to the Thunder, including all three matchups last season in which Oklahoma City averaged 116.3 points. Golden State continues to struggle with its perimeter shooting but got a dominating performance from its frontcourt to outlast the undermanned Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
Oklahoma City rebounded from a rare home loss with a 15-point romp at New Orleans on Friday night. The Thunder led by as many as 30 points in the second quarter in amassing its highest point total of the season against a team that had been allowing only 90.5 points. The fast start allowed coach Scott Brooks the luxury of sitting his starters for the fourth quarter. It was the sixth win in seven games for Oklahoma City, which shot 54 percent overall and connected on 14 of 29 from 3-point range.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area (Golden State), Fox Sports Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (5-4): Rookie Harrison Barnes followed up his first double-double by barely missing another, accounting for 18 points and nine boards against the Timberwolves. Barnes and double-double machine David Lee have helped the Warriors overcome the outside shooting woes. Golden State hit only 2 of 15 3-pointers against Minnesota but had a huge edge in inside, getting 18 points and 13 rebounds from Lee to control the backboards (50-34) and enjoy a staggering 58-22 edge in points in the paint.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (7-3): While Kevin Durant and Kevin Martin each scored 27 points and combined to make 10 of 16 from behind the arc, Russell Westbrook remained mired in a shooting slump. The All-Star point guard has shot 9-for-30 in his last two games, but was lauded by Brooks for contributing in other ways in his 10-point, 12-assist effort vs. New Orleans. “He didn't shoot the ball well, but it was one of his better games on both ends of the floor,” Brooks said. “He was disruptive. ... I thought his effort and intensity was the highest I've ever seen.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Thunder know how to bounce back from defeat, going 38-9 since the 2010-11 season in games immediately following a loss.
2. Backup Warriors guard Jarrett Jack scored 13 against Minnesota, boosting Golden State's record to 4-0 when he scores in double figures.
3. Martin became the third NBA player to be citing for violating the league's new flopping rules in Monday's game vs. Detroit.