Thunder vs. Warriors: A tale of two halves in Oakland

Alec Brzezinski

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Thunder vs. Warriors: A tale of two halves in Oakland image

It was a tale of two halves in Oakland on Saturday as the Warriors outlasted the Thunder 116-108 to remain perfect at home this season.

The first half was dominated by the Warriors' spread offense which led to good looks from their litany of talented shooters. Golden State (46-4) went into the break with 73 points already on the board and guys like Stephen Curry and Draymond Green had yet to heat up.

MORE: Greatest Warriors players of all time

However, the second half was a completely different story. Oklahoma City (38-14) came out and put pressure on Golden State's perimeter players in the third quarter, which led to just 18 points from the defending champs in the frame.

The Thunder actually tied the game late in the fourth quarter, but Green controlled the glass and Curry hit a few big shots in the final moments to seal the win. 

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told the team during a timeout near the end of the game he was happy they were playing in a close contest.

"He (Kerr) was lying to us, he didn't like it at all," Curry said on ESPN. "He didn't like the way we played in the second half. But it's important for us to win a close game against a good, playoff team like this."

Curry led the Warriors with 26 points, but shot just 1 for 8 from beyond the arc. Harrison Barnes added 19 points, and Draymond Green scored nine points with 14 rebounds.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with a game-high 40 points. He also hauled in 14 rebounds. Russell Westbrook had 27 points and 12 assists.

And for what it's worth, Curry picked his hometown Panthers to win the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Karl Anthony-Towns and Jahlil Okafor are two of a kind:

When the Timberwolves selected Anthony-Towns with the No. 1 overall pick last June, few scoffed at the decision because they knew the athletic center was going to be great. What they may not have projected is just how quickly that would happen. After scoring 26 points with 17 rebounds and three blocks in a 112-105 win against the Bulls on Saturday, Anthony-Towns is now averaging 16.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He also has nine double-doubles in his last 10 games.

Okafor, on the other hand, had a bit of controversy surrounding him on draft day. Was he going No. 2 to the Lakers? It certainly appeared he wanted to. But in the end Los Angeles passed on him and took D'Angelo Russell, forcing Okafor to Philadelphia. Instead of pouting, Okafor has proven why he was considered the most complete low-block scorer to enter the NBA in a decade. He, like Anthony-Towns, had a big game Saturday. Okafor scored 22 points with 17 rebounds and three blocks in a 103-98 win against the Nets.

It's been said that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, but these two players are pretty special.

Highlights:

Bold move by this guy doesn't pay off:

This is an impressive dunk by LeBron James, but where was the defense?

Nerlens Noel looked like a certain 76ers legend in this dunk:

Stud of the night:

It appears Hornets shooting guard Nicolas Batum is finally over his nagging toe injury. The 6-8 swingman narrowly missed out on a triple-double in a 108-104 win against the Wizards on Saturday. Batum finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

Duds of the night:

Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley and small forward Trevor Ariza struggled mightily in Houston's 96-79 loss against the Trail Blazers. Beverley scored four points on 2-of-10 shooting in 28 minutes of action. Ariza scored five points on 2-of-8 shooting in 33 minutes. The Rockets need more out of these two if they are going to make the playoffs this season.

Looking ahead:

Clippers (33-17) at Heat (29-22) 2 p.m. ET on ABC — Both these teams have suffered a number of injuries this season but remain in playoff contention. The matchup between Hassan Whiteside and DeAndre Jordan should be fun to watch. 

Alec Brzezinski