It was sloppy, but the Golden State Warriors have forced a Game 7.
Stephen Curry scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half and Klay Thompson set an NBA playoff record with 11 3-pointers as the duo rallied the Warriors to a last-minute 108-101 victory Saturday against the Thunder in the Western Conference finals. The series will be decided Monday in Oakland with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line.
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"The beauty of Steph and Klay is they walk that fine line between lethal and crazy," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said after the game.
Lethal, they were. While Curry started out slow, Thompson took over as the lead "Splash Brother" as he poured in a game-high 41 points, shooting 11-for-18 from 3-point range. Curry struggled with just nine points in the first half, but he eventually followed Thompson's lead by the time the fourth quarter hit and the pair helped the Warriors outscore the Thunder 16-4 over the final 4:40.
The Thunder folded in those final minutes. Russell Westbrook, who came one rebound shy of a triple-double, committed four turnovers in the final 1:39. He finished with 28 points. Kevin Durant, who scored 29, had just four points in the fourth quarter.
Curry shot 8-of-20 from the field and finished with 10 rebounds and nine assists. He and Thompson combined for 16 3-pointers, their most ever in a playoff game.
”I'm just so proud of everybody, man,” Thompson said. ”We were down almost the whole game and we never gave up.
"I started out the game slow, and we're not going to go far if I'm not being aggressive. I (was using) my teammates, just being patient, believe it or not, and never letting my confidence waiver because I'm ineffective if I'm not out there on my shot."
Stud of the night
Klay Thompson, Warriors — Of course, Thompson was the MVP of this game, scoring 41 points and an NBA-record 11 3s to go with it. He went 14-for-30 from the field.
Dud of the night
Kevin Durant, Thunder — The Warriors shut down Durant when it mattered. While he scored 29 points, he shot 10-for-31 from the field, only making one of his eight 3-point shots. He was smothered by Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green, which proved to be rough for him.
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Tweet of the night
Klay Thompson's 41 pts are the most in a road game when facing elimination since LeBron had 45 pts in Game 6 of 2012 Conf Finals at Boston
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 29, 2016
Looking ahead
Western Conference finals Game 7: Thunder at Warriors, 9:00 p.m. ET (series tied 3-3) — Oklahoma City has one more shot to oust the reigning NBA champs. However, the Thunder must avoid a fourth-quarter meltdown to keep the Warriors at bay. Meanwhile, Golden State can't rely on a Klay Thompson miracle every game. The team must stay consistent if they want a rematch against the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.