OAKLAND — In round one of his eagerly anticipated reunion against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant delivered a ferocious knockout punch.
Behind 39 points from Durant, the Warriors dismantled OKC 122-96 and reminded the NBA just how dangerous this team will be when everything is clicking.
Thursday was one of the more jaw-dropping shooting displays of Durant’s career. He made his first 5 three-pointers from the floor, igniting Oracle Arena into a deafening frenzy. Durant drilled 7 total three-pointers against his former team, a number he achieved just once last season. It was only the fourth time in his career he’s had at least 25 points at halftime. It was the KD show from start to finish.
Golden State used the surge of energy to go on a 20-3 run early in the second quarter and led by 25 at halftime. For the first time all season, the Warriors started sinking their three-pointers (13/29), the ball movement was crisp and the defense continues to get better and better.
The formula to unravel Oklahoma City is quite simple: Barricade Westbrook. While soaring athletically as ever through the air, Westbrook was bottled up against the Warriors’s defense. OKC’s point guard managed to score 20 points, but shot just 4/15 from the field. It should be noted the Thunder were playing on the second night of a back-to-back after a win over the Clippers on Wednesday.
Draymond Green was brilliant defensively and the Warriors also fed off his energy plays in the first quarter. He finished with 9 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Steven Adams scored 9 quick points in the first quarter and was completely shutdown afterwards, finishing with 11 points and 4 rebounds. Victor Oladipo led the Thunder with 21 points.
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson took a backseat to the Durant show. Curry played the role of facilitator, dishing out a team-high 7 assists while scoring 21. Thompson, on the other hand, is still trying to learn how to thrive on the basketball court next to KD, and ended up with 16 points. Both Curry and Thompson went 6/14 from the field.
The undeniable story from Oakland was Durant’s brilliance, a wave of confidence the Warriors could ride into the month of November. He played inspired, angered, delightful basketball.
But mostly he played like the Warriors were his team. And that’s a scary thought for the rest of the NBA.