NBA

Warriors Fall to Thunder in Game 3 of Western Conference Finals, Trail Series 2-1

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Warriors arrived in Oklahoma City on Saturday to play Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals on Sunday at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

They never showed up.

Falling behind by 25 at the half and later trailing by as much as 41, the Warriors on Sunday night were on the blunt end of a 133-105 rout administered by the hometown Thunder before 18,203 giddy first-hand witnesses and a global TV audience.

The Warriors now face a 2-1 deficit in the best-of-seven series.

Stephen Curry scored 24 points to lead the Warriors, while Klay Thompson added 18. Curry still finished minus-39 for the game and Thompson was minus-41. Draymond Green finished with 6 points, four rebounds and three assists and a minus-43.

No other Warrior scored more than 9 points, as they shot 40.3 percent through three quarters (to 60 percent for the Thunder) and 41.3 percent for the game.

The Warriors were battered on the glass, 52-38, outscored 62-44 in the paint and 29-13 in fast-break points.

Forward Kevin Durant scored a game-high 33 points in 32 minutes for OKC, while guard Russell Westbrook posted 30 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, also in 32 minutes of activity.

STANDOUT PERFORMER:

With the starting lineup failing miserably, the best player on the floor for the Warriors was reserve guard Ian Clark.

Clark’s line: 8 points (3-of-5 shooting from the field, 0-of-1 from beyond the arc), four rebounds, three assists and two steals. He played 20 minutes and was plus-19.

TURNING POINT:

After an Andrew Bogut tip-in tied the score at 40-40 with 8:37 left in the second quarter, the Thunder responded with a ferocious run, 32-7, over the remainder of the half.

The Warriors were 2-of-23 from the floor during that span, including missing their last seven shots before intermission as OKC tood a 72-47 lead into the locker room.

The Warriors in the second half got no closer than 22 points.

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