OKLAHOMA CITY — The standings indicated Golden State had nothing to play for Tuesday night.
The Warriors’ effort and performance said otherwise.
Kevin Durant scored 34 points while being booed throughout the game, leading Golden State to a 111-107 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Warriors entered the night locked into the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference standings, but they still wanted to beat a rival that had taken two of the first three meetings this season. Golden State won despite guard Stephen Curry missing his sixth straight game with a left MCL sprain. Guard Andre Iguodala missed the game with left knee soreness and Shaun Livingston was out for personal reasons.
“It was a great win, short-handed and on the road against a good team fighting for playoff position,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s a hell of a win, especially without all our guards.”
Russell Westbrook had 44 points and 16 rebounds. He made 15 of 26 field goals and 11 of 12 free throws and had six assists. The Thunder were disappointed that they couldn’t support Westbrook’s dynamic performance.
“He was great,” said Paul George, who scored 20 points. “He was great. He took it to another level — a level that those guys didn’t have an answer for. Again, it’s frustrating when we see that, we notice that and we can’t help him by making shots and putting the ball in the basket.”
Klay Thompson scored 20 points for the Warriors and the bench scored 38 points on 18-for-26 shooting. They helped make up for Durant’s 2-for-13 shooting in the second half.