Thunder at Warriors
The last time Kevin Durant faced the Golden State Warriors he set an NBA record with 30 points in just 19 minutes before going down with an ankle injury that robbed him of six games. Durant will get a chance to finish what he started the last time when the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Warriors on Monday. The Thunder have won back-to-back games behind Durant and are trying to move above .500 for the first time this season.
Durant was hurt just before the half at Golden State on Dec. 18 and Stephen Curry took over the game in his absence, finishing with 34 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals as the Warriors squeezed out a 114-109 win. Golden State is on fire over the last three games and is coming off a 126-105 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday. “When you’re a good team, like we are, there are certain games that stand out, and (Friday) was one of them,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “You want to go against the best, and you want to see how you match up. … We seem to play our best in these situations.”
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN Oklahoma (Oklahoma City), CSN Bay Area (Golden State)
ABOUT THE THUNDER (17-17): Durant is 25-of-41 from the field in two games since returning to the lineup, including 10-of-18 from 3-point range while averaging 39 points and nine rebounds. “That’s what he does,” Russell Westbrook told reporters of Durant. “Nobody is surprised. He’s not surprised in himself. He’s prepared himself to get back to where he is and back to where he left off.” The Thunder are 9-2 with Durant in the lineup and will get a clearer picture of where they stand as they embark on a stretch of 10 of the next 13 on the road.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (26-5): Curry and Klay Thompson have been outstanding most of the season but Golden State is at the top of the Western Conference thanks to the contributions of players like Marreese Speights and Draymond Green. Green is on the shortlist for the Most Improved Player award and is coming off his first career triple-double. “I don’t know if he’s going to make the All-Star team, but he would have my vote,” Kerr told reporters of Green. “He’s just been brilliant, and he represents kind of who we are as a team — the versatility, the scrapping, the toughness.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Warriors have handed out at least 30 assists in three straight games.
2. Westbrook is 19-of-59 from the field over the last three games.
3. Golden State F David Lee scored in double figures off the bench in each of the last five games.