OKLAHOMA CITY — The cascade of noise designed to heckle Kevin Durant didn’t seem to bother him much, and it had next to no effect on the Warriors.
Durant’s return to Oklahoma City came with a few heated exchanges and a mini-skirmish. It also resulted in a 130-114 victory for the Warriors on Saturday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Durant overcame numerous derogatory signs, a brief war of words with former teammate Russell Westbrook, as well as a dustup with Andre Roberson, another ex-teammate, to lead the Warriors with 34 points.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson each put in 26 points and JaVale McGee added 16 as the Warriors (46-8) beat the Thunder for the third time in three games this season.
The Warriors feasted on 19 Thunder turnovers, scoring 24 points, while outshooting them 52.9 percent to 48.2 percent.
Westbrook finished with a game-high 47 points to lead OKC, which fell to 31-24. He managed an unwanted triple-double, adding 11 rebounds and 11 turnovers to his points total.
STANDOUT PERFORMER
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Though the Warriors bench, featuring Andre Iguodala, was highly effective, this night belonged to Durant.
Durant’s line: 34 points (12-of-21 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from deep, 7-of-7 from the line), nine rebounds and three assists. He played 33 minutes and finished plus-12.
TURNING POINT
Down 22-18 after a Westbrook 3-point play with 3:08 left in the first quarter, the Warriors went on a 24-4 run to go up 42-26 on a Thompson triple with 9:34 left in the half.
The Warriors pushed the lead to 23 (73-50) by halftime and led by as much as 26.
The Thunder rallied in the second half, getting as close as 12, but never were able to fully close the gap.
INJURY REPORT
Warriors: C Zaza Pachulia (R rotator cuff strain) and F/C David West (L thumb fracture) were listed as out.
Thunder: C Enes Kanter (R ulna fracture) was listed as out.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Warriors return to action Monday night in Denver, where they face the Nuggets at Pepsi Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
Kevin Durant dropped 34 points and tallied nine rebounds in a 130-114 win for the Golden State Warriors during Durant's first game back in Oklahoma City.
