Thunder at Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have bounced back from a rough patch with two straight wins and are getting healthier with both Stephen Curry and David Lee back from ankle injuries. The Oklahoma City Thunder are enduring a long road trip and will try to muster the strength to visit the Warriors on the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday. The Thunder won at the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday and have taken seven of eight.
Curry missed a pair of games and Lee missed one with ankle injuries but both were in the lineup together on Monday in a 106-99 victory over the Clippers. Curry led the way with 28 points in that contest as the Warriors avenged a loss from earlier in the month that had thrown them into a brief tailspin. Golden State will be looking to avenge another loss from Oklahoma City, which posted a 119-109 triumph over the Warriors at home on Nov. 18. Kevin Durant recorded a triple-double in that game and has been on fire of late, averaging 36.7 points in his last seven contests.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Oklahoma (Oklahoma City), Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (Golden State), NBATV
ABOUT THE THUNDER (33-9): Oklahoma City has not been slowed a schedule that has had them on the road for eight of their past 10 games. The Thunder are halfway through their current six-game road trip and will be playing the first back-to-back of this set with the Warriors. After falling in overtime at Denver to snap a six-game winning streak on Sunday, Oklahoma City bounced back by posting a 109-97 victory over the Clippers on Tuesday. Durant scored 24 of his 32 points in the second half and went 5-of-6 from 3-point range in the win. The highest-scoring team in the NBA, the Thunder have reached the century mark in each of their last five contests. Durant collected his first career triple-double with 25 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in the first meeting with the Warriors.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (25-15): Golden State had dropped five of six before rallying late to win at New Orleans on Saturday, and showed some resilience down the stretch by outscoring the Clippers 33-19 in the fourth quarter and pulling out a 106-99 triumph on Monday at home. Curry hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help spark the rally while Jarrett Jack came off the bench to deliver 18 points and 10 assists. The Warriors had averaged 81.5 points in the two games Curry sat out but have put up 111 in the two games since his return. The All-Star hopeful hit four 3-pointers en route to a team-high 22 points in the December meeting with the Thunder but joined his teammates in struggling to slow Durant, Russell Westbrook (30 points) and Kevin Martin (23) on the defensive end. Golden State will hit the road for four straight after facing Oklahoma City, beginning in Chicago on Friday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Westbrook had a streak of four straight games with 30 or more points come to an end on Tuesday, when he was held to 26.
2. Oklahoma City has averaged 116.6 points in winning the last five in the series.
3. Golden State C Andrew Bogut (ankle) ran at full speed on Monday but there is still no timetable for his return.