The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to find ways to win in places they aren’t supposed to.
The Thunder beat the Golden State Warriors 108-102 to steal Game 1 at Oracle Arena on Monday night.
MORE: Must-see photos from Thunder-Warriors
Russell Westbrook led the way with 27 points, 12 assists and seven steals for the Thunder.
It was a tale of two halves as the Warriors led by 13 at the break. The Warriors had been 37-0 when leading by double-digits at halftime. But Westbrook changed the course of the game by scoring 19 points in the third quarter, helping the Thunder cut into the deficit.
It was just the third win by an opposing team on the Warriors' home floor since Jan. 27, 2015. And the Thunder were able to accomplish it despite a combined 17-for-51 shooting performance from Westbrook and Durant.
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If we learned anything in Game 1, it's that Durant and Westbrook can't worry about shooting percentages against the Warriors, or they won't win. The key for the Thunder is to stay aggressive on offense and defense. Durant struggled from the field, hitting just 10 of his 30 attempts, but his 17-footer with 30 seconds to go gave his team a five-point lead.
Simply put, the scorers must score and worry about the shooting percentages after the fact.
Stud of the night
Westbrook’s shooting numbers weren’t that sterling — he missed 14 of the 21 shots he attempted — but he was effective from the free throw line, hitting 11 of 14 shots. He gambled quite a bit on defense but it paid off with seven steals.
Dud of the night
The Warriors' bench was uncharacteristically unproductive, scoring just 16 points. Don’t expect that to happen again.
Tweet of the night
The Thunder have won three in a row on the road against two of the best home teams in NBA history.
The Spurs and the Warriors were a combined 79-3 at home in the regular season.
— Steven J. Gaither (@stevenjgaither) May 17, 2016
They are 1-3 against OKC at home in the playoffs.
Looking ahead
Eastern Conference finals Game 1: Raptors at Cavaliers, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN — After what seems like forever, the Cavs are finally back on the court. The Raptors have almost played twice as many games (14) as the Cavs (eight) during the playoffs, but Sunday's Game 7 win may have been a breakthrough for them. We'll find out soon.