The Warriors believe their championship team showed up for Game 5 and fought off elimination with a 120-111 victory. Now the question is: Does it travel? Golden State was abused in Games 3 and 4 in Oklahoma City, losing by a combined 52 points. The Dubs need to be much better if we are to have a Game 7 on Monday.
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LOOK AHEAD
Even after two dominant wins in Oklahoma City, the Thunder knew the defending champions were going to put up a fight. After all, the Warriors set a NBA record for regular season wins, are nearly unbeatable at home, and were staring elimination in the face. Golden State just wasn’t ready to begin its offseason. The Warriors are still down in the series and face a tremendous challenge to advance to the NBA Finals, but Game 5 at Oracle proved that they’re not going to go out without a serious fight and that the Thunder will have to earn its way to the Finals.
The Thunder are licking their wounds a bit, but they also should feel somewhat encouraged. This was the kind of response we expected from the Warriors on their home floor and still OKC pushed them to the brink. The Thunder didn’t play well but had their chances. A couple of better possessions, a few stops, and the Thunder would have walked off the floor as winners. Instead they regroup with a lot on the line. OKC won Games 3 and 4 by a combined 52 points and certainly don’t want to return to the Bay Area.
INJURIES
Any concerns over injuries to Stephen Curry were answered with his performance in Game 5. At this point in the season, all the regulars are dealing with some kind of ailment. It’s only expected after 82 regular season games and two-and-a-half playoff rounds.
KEY MATCHUP
Say what you want about Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, but the Warriors need Stephen Curry battling to have a chance. The two-time MVP was far from his most efficient, shooting 9 of 20 from the field and 3 of 8 from three-range on Thursday. He did get to the line 10 times – making them all – and worked hard to get shots against OKC’s stifling defensive pressure.
Golden State had to stay calm against consistent pressure, make smart decisions, and at times simply make tough shots against a defense that has tested the Dubs like no other in the past two seasons. And it was Curry doing most of work. His 31 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals indicated that, knee injury or not, he’s still plenty capable of doing enough to win an ultra-competitive playoff game.
QUICK PICK
The Warriors did what they had to on Thursday, staving off elimination with a hard-fought 120-111 victory, sending the series back to Oklahoma City. The Warriors weren’t ready to break out the golf clubs just yet, but it wasn’t the type of win we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from the Warriors. They had to work on both sides of the ball, were forced into difficult shots, and harassed all night by the Thunder, who made it interesting down the stretch.
OKC didn’t play well, especially Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. While the final stat lines looked impressive, getting there was a struggle. The two combined for 71 points but took 59 shots. And, unlike Games 3 and 4, they got little help from the support staff. OKC doesn’t want a return trip to Northern California and the Thunder will pull out all the stops while leaning on what worked when they crushed the Dubs in Games 3 and 4. They have some history on their side as well. Only nine teams of the previous 232 that trailed 3-1 in a best-of-seven series came back to win.
NBA Odds: Oklahoma City 118, Golden State 110
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