OKLAHOMA CITY – The Warriors lost Steph Curry for a few minutes in the third quarter when he limped off after tweaking his left ankle.
He returned about five minutes later and made the Thunder disappear.
The Warriors clinched a playoff berth with 121-118 overtime win over the Thunder on Saturday before a roaring sellout crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Looking fatigued at the end of a long road trip, the Warriors were slow getting to loose balls, missed a half-dozen layups and were outrebounded 62-31.
It. Did. Not. Matter.
[RELATED: Warriors' Curry breaks NBA record for 3-pointers in season]
Curry drained the game-winner from well beyond the 3-point arc with .6 seconds left in OT. He finished with a team-high 46 points, 31 of which came after he tweaked his left ankle with 10:39 left in the third quarter, got it re-taped and reentered the game with 5:10 left in the quarter.
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Curry also broke his own single-season record for 3-pointers, making 12 – tying the NBA single-game record – to push his season total to 288.
Two other Warriors scored in double figures, as Klay Thompson put in 32 points and Andre Iguodala finished with 12 – including a pair of free throws to tie the game with .7 seconds left in regulation and send it to OT.
The Warriors (53-5) remain one game ahead of the pace set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls during their record-setting 72-10 season.
[RELATED: Warriors clinch playoff spot after Spurs beat Rockets]
Kevin Durant scored 37 points and Russell Westbrook added 21 to pace the Thunder (42-17).
STANDOUT PERFORMER
Curry gets the honor because his shooting, far more than anything else, kept the Warriors within range before he destroyed Oklahoma City.
Curry’s line: 46 points (14-of-24 shooting, including 12-of-16 from deep), six assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Draymond Green had an oddly effective game, racking up team highs in rebounds (14) and assists (14) despite scoring only two points (both free throws) while missing all eight of his shots from the field.
TURNING POINT
Down 11 (96-85) with 4:51 left, the Warriors closed regulation on a furious 18-7 run to force OT.
Curry scored eight of the 18 points, which allowed the Warriors to get into position to win in OT.
Durant fouled out 47 seconds into OT with the Thunder leading 108-103. Curry and the Warriors took over from there.
INJURY UPDATE
Warriors: F Kevon Looney and C Festus Ezeli (L knee surgery, not with the team) were placed on the inactive list.
Thunder: No injuries listed. F Josh Huestis was placed on the inactive list.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Warriors return to action Tuesday night, when the play host to the Atlanta Hawks at Oracle Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:40.
