Final
Warriors edge Thunder behind Curry's 31
Jan 24, 2013 - 8:19 AM Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Stephen Curry posted 31 points and seven assists as the Golden State Warriors held off the Oklahoma City Thunder, 104-99, on Wednesday.David Lee added 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Klay Thompson poured in 19 points for the Warriors, who have won three straight.
"It's been a huge week for us so far," said Lee. "We've come a long way as a team. We've proven that we can play with anybody. Now we need to go continue to take care of business."
Kevin Durant scored a game-high 33 points with nine assists and five rebounds for Oklahoma City, which fell for the second time in three games.
Kevin Martin followed with 16 points while Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins each dropped in 12 in defeat.
Oklahoma City held a 79-76 lead at the start of the fourth quarter and stretched its advantage up to as much as 88-80 on a Durant jumper about four minutes in before Golden State started to storm back, reeling off a 17-6 run to go ahead, 97-94, on Carl Landry's putback with 2:25 remaining.
The two teams traded baskets from there and with the Warriors up, 101-98, with about a minute left, Durant's potential game-tying 3-pointer from the top of the key rimmed out.
Lee, however, was called for traveling on the other end and Russell Westbrook made the front end of two foul shots to get back within two.
Oklahoma City then regained the ball after Curry missed a wide open three that could have put the game away, but Harrison Barnes stole an errant Durant pass and Curry sank a pair of free throws for a 103-99 edge with 12.4 left.
Jarrett Jack's free throw following a missed trey by Westbrook accounted for the final margin.
"I thought it was a game that could have been decided by either team, but unfortunately we didn't make enough plays down the stretch and they did. They deserved to win this games," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.
A pair of Landry free throws in the closing seconds of a back-and-forth first quarter that saw seven lead changes and nine ties gave the Warriors a 27-26 edge heading into the second.
Reggie Jackson then opened the second with a personal 5-0 spurt to give the Thunder a lead they would not lose for the remainder of the half.
Golden State battled back to knot the game at 35-35 on Jack's driving layup with 8:20 to play in the half, but Durant scored the game's next seven points to put Oklahoma City back on top and the Warriors never got closer than three points for the remainder of the half en route to a 57-52 deficit at the break.
The Warriors then raced out of the gate in the third quarter, following Westbrook's opening jumper with a 20-9 run to jump ahead, 72-68, with 5:07 remaining.
The Thunder, however, scored 11 of the final 15 points of the frame to take a 79-76 lead into the fourth quarter.
Game Notes
Golden State improved to 14-4 at home this season, while the Thunder fell to 14-7 on the road ... Jack finished with nine points and eight assists to snap his streak of three straight games with a double-double ... The Warriors had lost the last five meetings between the teams ... Westbrook shot just 3-for-16 for 10 points.
- OKLAHOMA CITY: 99
GOLDEN STATE: 104
Final
Jan 24 12:59 AM - qwertyui The Warriors are truly becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Thunder 99, Warriors 101 4th - 0:37Jan 24 12:53 AM - OKLAHOMA CITY: 79
GOLDEN STATE: 76
End of 3rd
Jan 24 12:18 AM - OKLAHOMA CITY: 57
GOLDEN STATE: 52
Halftime
Jan 23 11:34 PM - OKLAHOMA CITY: 26
GOLDEN STATE: 27
End of 1st
Jan 23 11:07 PM - OKLAHOMA CITY: 0
GOLDEN STATE: 0
1st Quarter - 11:43
Jan 23 10:43 PM
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