Oklahoma City Thunder (50-15) beat Golden State Warriors (32-31) 104-97 at home on Saturday, March 7 in a low-scoring game: just 201 combined points between the two teams.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Thunder struck first, taking the opening quarter 34-28 and a 6-point lead after one. The Thunder kept the pressure on with a 33-26 second quarter, carrying a 13-point lead into halftime.
The Warriors won the third 29-19 to stay in front, taking a 3-point lead into the fourth. The Thunder took the fourth 18-14; the Thunder finished the job for a 104-97 regulation win.
What decided it
The Thunder made 29.5 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 12.5 for the Warriors. The Thunder got more from their shots, finishing at 51.9% effective field-goal shooting compared with 48.9% for the Warriors. The points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
The Warriors did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 30% against 17.9%. The Thunder made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 94 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 110.9 points per 100 possessions to 103.5 for the Warriors.
Who made the difference
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 27 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast on 6-15 shooting. His Game Score of 20.8 led everyone. His team was +3 with him on the floor.
Gui Santos led the Warriors with 22 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast on 8-19 shooting, good for a 17.9 Game Score.
Gui Santos (22 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Thunder about a 85% chance.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 4-2.
The Thunder are now 50-15, and the Warriors are 32-31. The Thunder last five before this game: L-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.