Thunder at Warriors
The Golden State Warriors turned to their stars down the stretch in Game 6, and Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry delivered a Game 7. The Warriors will have the chance to close out the Western Conference finals and advance to the NBA Finals for the second straight year when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 on Monday.
Golden State looked beaten and broken after getting crushed in Games 3 and 4 to fall into a 3-1 hole in the series, but a tough win at home in Game 5 coupled with a transcendent performance from Thompson in Game 6 knotted it back at three wins apiece. “We played for each other,” Thompson told reporters after burying an NBA playoff-record 11 3-pointers in the 108-101 win. “… It was just so much fun to play with the fire and emotion we did for the whole 48 minutes.” The Thunder held a seven-point lead with five minutes left on Sunday but were outscored 19-5 the rest of the way and committed six turnovers in that span. “I felt like we didn’t do a great job coming down the stretch,” Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan told reporters. “We got a little stagnant coming down the stretch. Defensively, we were a little bit late, but they made some tough shots and made some plays.”
TV: 9 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE THUNDER: Oklahoma City already has one win at Golden State under its belt in the series and believes it can overcome the devastation of dropping Game 6 at home. “We know exactly what they do, they know exactly what we do,” Kevin Durant told. “It’s just a matter of who wants it more. Both teams went out there and played extremely hard (in Game 6). They made more shots than we did, especially from the three. That’s the name of the game.” Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 57 points but went 1-of-13 from 3-point range in the loss and 3-of-14 from the field in the fourth quarter.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Golden State outscored the Thunder 63-9 from 3-point range led by Thompson, who buried a flat-footed 3-pointer from over 28 feet away at the top of the key and nailed another in transition to provide the go-ahead bucket in the late-game surge. "Obviously, Klay Thompson was ridiculous," Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "The shooting was some of the most incredible shooting you'll ever see." Curry added 31 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and found his shot late with a pair of 3-pointers and a runner on the right side of the lane that sealed it in the final seconds.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Thompson’s 41 points were a playoff career high and the most scored by a Warriors player this postseason.
2. Oklahoma City G Andre Roberson went 5-of-5 from the field in Game 6 and is shooting 61.5 percent from the field.
3. Golden State F Draymond Green has recorded back-to-back double-doubles.