The Golden State Warriors defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 118-91, in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Wednesday night at the Oracle Arena.
Coming into Wednesday, the Warriors were in the unfamiliar position of having their backs against the wall in a playoff series, and after only one game to boot. They appeared determined to build a formidable lead early, and boasted a 27-20 advantage after the first 12 minutes. Despite the quick deficit, the Thunder battled back in the second period, and knotted the game at 49 with 1:35 left before halftime on a Kevin Durant jumper. However, the Warriors used the final 90 seconds before intermission to go on a game-turning 8-0 run that featured a "you've got to be kidding" and-one play by Andre Iguodola. Golden State then kept the momentum going in the third quarter, putting plenty of distance between them and the Thunder by outscoring them 31-19. The dominating stretch was more than enough to allow for a final period that was markedly more relaxed for the Warriors than that of Monday's Game 1.
The Thunder were considerably top-heavy scoring-wise, a major handicap when going up against a team with as diverse an attack as Golden State. Durant led the way with 29 points, and he added six rebounds, an assist and a steal. However, he also committed a game-high eight turnovers. Russell Westbrook tallied a 16-point, 12-assist double-double that also included a rebound and two steals. No other starter or reserve was able to achieve double-digit scoring, but Steven Adams did notably compile nine points and 10 rebounds. Among the starting five, Serge Ibaka was only able to pitch in with three points, although he did haul in eight rebounds and record a trio of steals.
In contrast, the Warriors saw four of five starters enjoy productive nights, led by Stephen Curry's 28 points. He added three assists, two rebounds, and a steal. Klay Thompson followed with 15 points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal. Harrison Barnes contributed 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Draymond Green had a quiet game by his standards, but still filled up the stat sheet by collecting 10 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and a steal. The second unit featured an additional three players with double-digit points, led by Iguodola's 14. He added three boards, an assist and three steals. Mareese Speights turned in one of his trademark ultra-efficient performances, supplying 13 points and a pair of rebounds in just nine minutes. Festus Ezeli got in on the fun as well, posting 12 points, five rebounds, an assist and a block.
The two teams are now off until Sunday night, when they'll reconvene for Game 3 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City with the series knotted in a 1-1 tie.
