The OKC Thunder lost their first matchup with the Golden State Warriors Saturday night. Here are three ways they can improve to win their next matchup.
It was one of the most hyped-up regular season games in years, with ticket demands rivaling NBA Finals numbers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder squared off with the Golden State Warriors for the first time this season in a matchup of NBA powerhouses. Neither side disappointed with a game that went down to the wire after OKC roared back from a 20-point deficit to tie the game with 3:25 left.
Both Durant and Westbrook had opportunities to give their team the lead late in the game, but neither was able to find the bottom of the basket on their attempts. With each miss, the Warriors were able to respond with a basket of their own, which led to their 116-108 victory to push their record to 46-4.
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Saturday night’s matchup was a game where each half told a different story, especially for the Thunder. Golden State was able to dominate the first half, putting up 73 points on lackluster Thunder defense.
OKC looked disinterested in playing defense and allowed too many easy looks at the rim and open shots from the three-point line. Golden State’s offense is already hard enough to stop, so allowing easy layups and jumpers is only going to make things that much more difficult.
Halftime served the Thunder well, and they made a huge comeback, thanks in large part to increased effort on the defensive end. The Dubs were only able to put score 18 points in the third quarter after dominating the entire first half.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were able to dominate the game, which was almost enough to will OKC back to win. If the Thunder want to be able to beat the Warriors in a seven-game series in April, they will need to improve in multiple facets.
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