Isaiah Joe goes 7 for 7 on 3-pointers, Thunder send short-handed Warriors to fifth straight loss
By SONJA CHEN
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Even after making nearly 60% of their 3-pointers, the Oklahoma City Thunder were just as pleased with how they moved the ball around the court in recording 31 assists.
“You can’t expect to shoot the ball like that every night,” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. “That obviously comes and goes. That’s why we emphasize all the things we can control.”
Isaiah Joe was 7 for 7 from 3-point range and scored a season-high 23 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points and seven assists and the Thunder sent the Golden State Warriors to their fifth straight loss with a 128-109 victory on Thursday night.
“By the time that one got there,” Joe said of his last couple 3-pointers, “it was like shooting into an ocean.”
Josh Giddey added 19 points and rookie Chet Holmgren had 13 points and 10 rebounds in his fourth double-double to help propel Oklahoma City to its fifth win in six games. The Thunder were 19 of 32 (59.4%) behind the arc.
“They spread you out, they’ve got shooters everywhere and they got a lot of size positionally, their guards, between Shai, Giddey and (Jalen) Williams,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “The team’s really well put-together, well-coached, and they hammered us tonight.”
The Thunder had won just one of their past 11 contests against the Warriors dating back to 2020-21. But Oklahoma City was firmly in control against a short-handed Golden State squad that grew more thin as the night went on.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry (right knee soreness) and forward Draymond Green ( five-game suspension ) were unavailable, and guard Gary Payton II exited with a sprained left ankle in the second quarter. X-rays on Payton’s ankle came back negative, the team announced.
Missing their leading scorer for a second straight game, the Warriors fell to 1-5 at Chase Center this season.
Green’s absence may have been felt most on defense, as Oklahoma City jumped out to a 39-24 lead after the first quarter. Golden State closed within a point of the lead in the third but was ultimately outscored 34-24 in the fourth.
Jonathan Kuminga led Golden State with 21 points, drawing the start in place of Green. He was one of seven Warriors to score in double figures, but Klay Thompson was held to five points and just 1 of 10 from the field.
The Warriors tried to stay in the game by grabbing 20 offensive rebounds, leading to a 27-6 advantage in second-chance points.
“Credit to them, they did a good job hustling on the glass,” Holmgren said. “We have to come back and be better for that on Saturday.”
Forward Gui Santos, Golden State’s second-round draft pick in 2022, made his NBA debut in the fourth quarter, playing four minutes and grabbing three boards. Santos is the third Brazilian-born player to appear in a game for the Warriors.
UP NEXT
The Thunder and Warriors will meet again on Saturday night at Chase Center.
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